The development of humans' moral views of other animals

Abstract Humans' moral views of animals vary in important ways across development. In many cases, adults display anthropocentric moral judgments that relate to the exploitation of animals as a resource. In contrast, children appear to have a more inclusive perspective regarding animals. In this article, we review and synthesize studies examining differences in how children, adolescents, and adults make moral judgments about animals. We consider how both cultural and individual differences may relate to this developmental trajectory.

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Publication Details

Journal
Child Development Perspectives
Published
2026-01-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/cdpers/aadaf001
Primary Topic
Animal and Plant Science Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The development of humans' moral views of other animals

Jared Piazza, Luke McGuire, Matti Wilks, Nadira S. Faber et al.
Child Development Perspectives
Animal and Plant Science Education
article

The development of humans' moral views of other animals

Jared Piazza, Luke McGuire, Matti Wilks, Nadira S. Faber, Katja Liebal
article en

Abstract

Abstract Humans' moral views of animals vary in important ways across development. In many cases, adults display anthropocentric moral judgments that relate to the exploitation of animals as a resource. In contrast, children appear to have a more inclusive perspective regarding animals. In this article, we review and synthesize studies examining differences in how children, adolescents, and adults make moral judgments about animals. We consider how both cultural and individual differences may relate to this developmental trajectory.

Child Development PerspectivesVol. 20(1)
Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (DE), Hochschule Bremen (DE), University of Bremen (DE), University of Exeter (GB), University of Oxford (GB), Lancaster City Council (GB), Lancaster University (GB), Leipzig University (DE), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 96%
Animal and Plant Science Education
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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The development of humans' moral views of other animals — Jared Piazza, Luke McGuire, et al. · Child Development Perspectives (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS