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Religious beliefs and norms

People's behaviors are guided by norms of different kinds, primarily, moral, social, and religious. In order to function properly, children growing up in multi-cultural societies have to figure out which norms apply to them, which apply to others, which apply to everybody, and which apply in special circumstances. This inferential problem is especially challenging for religious children, for whom religious norms play a crucial role in defining appropriate behavior. 

In our lab, we study how children develop this understanding of the scope of norms, comparing children from various ages and backgrounds (e.g., religious Jews, Arab Muslims). We also collaborate with researchers conducting work cross-culturally (e.g., in India), in particular within the framework of the Developing Beliefs Network (https://www.developingbelief.com/). We ask questions about what shapes children's reasoning on this matter, looking at factors such as religiosity, religious group concepts, and parental characteristics and practices.

This is just getting started, so not much published yet. You may check out this paper for a general impression of the DBN project:

Weisman, K., Ghossainy, M. E., Williams, A. J., Payir, A., Lesage, K. A., Reyes-Jaquez, B., ... & Developing Belief Network. (2024). The development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior: Protocol for Wave 1 data collection with children and parents by the Developing Belief Network. PloS one19(3), e0292755.