Carrying Babies and Groceries: The Effect of Moral and Social Weight on Caring

Abstract

Two carrying tasks were used to assess the effects of physical, social, and moral weight on the care with which actions are taken. In Experiment 1, observers rated point-light walkers traversing uneven terrain carrying 3 unseen objects: a child, a bag of equally weighted groceries, and a bag of equally weighted trash. Kinematics of walkers carrying children were rated as more careful. In Experiment 2, perceived and actual maximum stepping height (MSH) were determined while carrying a child, a bag of groceries, and an empty bag. Perceived MSH was reduced by greater physical and moral weight, but actual MSH was equal with groceries and child, suggesting a difference between individual judgment and joint action. Implications for caring, carrying, values, social perception, and the relation of judgment and action are considered.