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Child, would you sacrifice yourself? A study on the Foreign Language Effect in children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2022

Celia Fernández-Sanz ,
Carlos Romero-Rivas  and
Sara Rodriguez-Cuadrado Open the ORCID record for Sara Rodriguez-Cuadrado [Opens in a new window]
Celia Fernández-Sanz
Affiliation:
Departamento Interfacultativo de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Carlos Romero-Rivas
Affiliation:
Departamento Interfacultativo de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Sara Rodriguez-Cuadrado*
Affiliation:
Departamento Interfacultativo de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
*
Address for correspondence: Sara Rodriguez-Cuadrado Facultad de Formación del Profesorado y Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid C/ Francisco Tomás y Valiente, n° 3, 28049, Madrid (Spain) Email: sara.rodriguezcuadrado@uam.es
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Abstract

The moral foreign-language effect (M-FLE) translates into more utilitarian choices, even when given the option of self-sacrifice. We explore the M-FLE in 85 children, who were presented with seven moral dilemmas varying in utilitarianism, aversiveness, and whether they allowed the option of self-sacrifice; 42 answered to the dilemmas in their native language (Spanish), and 43 in a foreign language (English). Participants were more utilitarian and willing to sacrifice themselves when using their foreign language. Educational and developmental implications are discussed, especially in the context of bilingual education.

Keywords

foreign language effectmoral dilemmasdecision-makingutilitarianismself-sacrificebilingualism
Type
Research Notes
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , March 2023 , pp. 446 - 455
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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