Why Some Mindreaders Don’t Share: The Conditional Role of Moral Motivation in Preschool Prosociality

Previous research on the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and prosocial behavior in early childhood has produced conflicting findings–positive, negative, and null. We hypothesized that such inconsistencies arise because ToM facilitates altruism only when supported by moral motivation. To test this, we examined how ToM and anticipated self-conscious emotions jointly predict sharing in a dictator game among 254 Chinese preschoolers. ToM was measured via second-order false belief tasks; moral motivation was assessed through emotion attribution and justification in moral transgression scenarios. Research Findings: Results revealed significant main effects of ToM and moral motivation, as well as a robust interaction: children with high ToM shared more than peers–but only when they also displayed strong moral motivation. When moral motivation was low and medium, ToM had no effect. These findings suggest that both ToM and moral motivation jointly contribute to altruistic sharing, and that the presence of both cognitive and motivational components is critical for translating mentalizing capacity into prosocial action. Practice or Policy: The study suggests that educational interventions targeting prosocial development should not only foster mindreading skills but also nurture children’s capacity for empathic concern.