Moral evaluations and punishment decisions in intergroup contexts

Moral philosophy and psychology often emphasize the role of intent in moral evaluations but typically do not incorporate perspectives from the social psychology of intergroup bias. Therefore, current work on morality has limited capacity to understand moral cognition in group contexts. The current work examined how Black and White adults (Study 1) and White children (Study 2) incorporate information about intent into judgments of intergroup behaviors.

Participants learned about White individuals who transgressed against Black individuals (Studies 1-2), Black individuals who transgressed against White individuals (Study 1), or White individuals who transgressed against White individuals (Study 2). Participants in Study 1 indicated how important perpetrators' intentions were; participants in Study 2 learned about behaviors performed with malicious or benign intent. Both studies measured participants' moral responses to perpetrators.

White adults prioritized White perpetrators' intent more and reported that they should receive less severe punishment than did Black adults. White 7- to 9-year-olds-but not 4- to 6-year-olds-also emphasized perpetrator intent especially strongly when evaluating intergroup behaviors.

While the ability to consider intent in moral judgment emerges early, the role of intent-based judgments in moral cognition depends on group membership. Integrating moral psychology, the social psychology of intergroup bias, and developmental science strengthens scientific understanding of human cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).