At the age of six months babies can barely sit up – let along take their first tottering steps, crawl or talk. But, according to psychologists, they have already developed a sense of moral code – and can tell the difference between good and evil. An astonishing series of experiments is challenging the views of many psychologists and social scientists that human beings are born as ‘blank slates’ – and that our morality is shaped by our parents and experiences. baby Good rabbit, bad rabbit: Simple experiments involving babies have shown that we have a strong morality instinct from an early age Instead, they suggest that the difference between good and bad may be hardwired into the brain at birth. In one experiment involving puppets, babies aged six months old showed a strong preference to ‘good’ helpful characters – and rejected unhelpful, ‘naughty’ ones. In another, they even acted as judge and jury. When asked to take away treats from a ‘naughty’ puppet, some babies went further – and dished out their own punishment with a smack on its head. Leading research: Professor Paul Bloom, of Yale University, said a series of morality […]