Children’s Moral Evaluations of and Behaviors toward People Who are Curious about Religion and Science (Data)

In Study 1 (n=115 5- to 8-year-olds; 49% female; 66% White), children evaluated actors who were curious, ignorant and non-curious, or knowledgeable about religion or science; curiosity elicited relatively favorable moral evaluations (ds>.40).

Study 2 (n=62 7- to 8-year-olds; 48% female; 63% White) found that these evaluations generalized to behaviors, as children acted more pro-socially and less punitively toward curious, versus not curious, individuals (ηp2=.37). These findings (data collected 2020-2022) demonstrate children’s positive moral evaluations of curiosity and contribute to debates regarding overlap between scientific and religious cognition.