Unethical amnesia and the moral licensing effect in children. Is there a connection?

We used an experimental procedure to explore the moral amnesia and licensing effects, and the connection between the two in a sample of 354 children aged 8 to 11. Results suggested that a) in the recent condition, children remembered more details about positive or moral behaviors; b) in the distant condition, children remembered more accurately details about generally moral behaviors; c) children who recalled recent negative behaviors scored higher on altruism compared to participants who recalled recent moral and immoral behaviors. Overall, we found a significant association between children's memory of recent positive behaviors and altruism.