Evaluations of pro-environmental behaviours in preschool age

ABSTRACT

This research explored early ecological-moral sense, by investigating 2.5- and 5-year-old children’s evaluations of overt and covert pro-environmental actions using both rewarding and reaching paradigms (N = 96; 100% White). In Experiment 1, the overt pro-environmental action was compared with the action of harming the environment. In Experiment 2, the covert pro-environmental action was compared with the action of harming the environment. The results showed a reaching preference for the agent that performed overt pro-environmental behaviours only in older children, and a tendency to reward it in both age groups (Experiment 1). No preference for the agent that displayed covert pro-environmental behaviours or a tendency to reward it was found in all children (Experiment 2). These findings demonstrate an age-increased environmental morality.

KEYWORDS:

• Evaluation
• rewarding
• reaching preference
• pro-environmental behaviours
• preschool age

Acknowledgments

We thank Emilia Masi for helping to collect data. Thanks to all parents and children who participated in the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data and stimuli of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.