Normative views and resource distribution behavior in childhood: Dissociated at the group level, but associated at the individual level

Previous research debated whether and to which extent normative views and own resource distribution behavior in childhood are dissociated or aligned. The present study aims to advance this debate by examining the relation from two different methodological viewpoints within the same study. Here, 4–6-year-old children’s (N = 91) normative views and distribution behavior when confronted with a rich friend and a poor non-friend were assessed. Children’s spontaneous protest and affirmation toward distributors, evaluations, and punishment judgments served as normative indicators. Looking at average normative views and behavior, preschoolers held a normative view toward rectifying inequalities while favoring the rich friend themselves. Looking at the consistency of interindividual differences, preschooler’s normative view correlated with behavior. The study highlights that the relation between normative views and behavior is characterized by both dissociation and coherence

The normative status of friendship: Do young children enforce sharing with friends and appreciate reasonable partiality?

Contemporary moral philosophy stresses the idea of reasonable partiality. This concept proposes that close relationships carry a normative obligation to be partial toward another person. This study explored in two experiments whether 4- to 6-year-old children (NÂ =Â 185) enforce partiality toward friends from third parties (Experiment 1) and how they prioritize a norm of equality and interpersonal obligations toward friends (Experiment 2). Children were presented with protagonists who could distribute resources between a friend and a disliked peer. One protagonist complied with a norm of partiality by allocating more resources to his friend, whereas the other protagonist either behaved in the opposite way (Experiment 1) or distributed resources equally (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, children enforced partiality by protesting against the protagonist who gave more to the disliked peer and by selectively affirming the protagonist who gave more to the friend. Yet, in Experiment 2, children showed stronger enforcement of a norm of equal sharing than partiality toward the friend. The study demonstrates how young children deal with normative demands in the context of friendship. At the same time, it suggests that fairness norms are given priority. Overall, our study demonstrates how young children handle normative demands and interpersonal responsibilities

Molecular characterization of a recently identified circovirus in zebra finches (<i>Taeniopygia guttata</i>) associated with immunosuppression and opportunistic infections

<p>A recently identified circovirus (family <i>Circoviridae</i>) was detected in 14 zebra finches (<i>Taeniopygia guttata</i>) from seven aviaries and hobbyist breeders using polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing. Full genome sequences of virus strains from six zebra finches consistently revealed characteristic circoviral genomic features such as a stem-loop structure and two major open reading frames (ORFs) encoding the replication-associated protein and the putative capsid protein. One further ORF encoding a protein of unknown function was additionally identified in all six genomes. Based on full genome nucleotide comparison, zebra finch circovirus was most similar to <i>Finch circovirus</i> originating from a Gouldian finch (<i>Chloebia gouldiae</i>) sharing 78% nucleotide identity. High genetic diversity was detected in the circoviruses from individual zebra finches. Comparison of the six full genome sequences revealed two genetic subgroups, which shared pairwise nucleotide identities between 91.4% and 92.7%. Analyses including partial sequences of the replication-associated protein gene of the zebra finch circovirus strains from all 14 birds supported the existence of two main clusters. Clinical diseases associated with circovirus infection were found in nestlings, fledglings and adult birds and varied from mild to severe with high mortality caused by secondary infections. <i>Macrorhabdus ornithogaster</i> was the most frequently detected opportunistic pathogen. Feathering disorders were seen in two birds. Lymphocytic depletion of the spleen and leukocytopaenia were detected in individual birds, suggesting immunosuppression and a pathogenesis common to circovirus infections in other birds.</p