Children's judgments of flags and flag-burning

This study examined children's conceptions of flags as social conventions a nd understandings of the symbolic and psychological consequences associated with transgressions toward flags. Seventy-two children, at 6, 8, and 10 ye ars, answered general questions about flags as social conventions and judge d flag-burning scenarios in which intentions of agents and consequences for recipients were varied. Flag-burning acts were motivated by symbolic, acci dental, or instrumental intentions and occurred in public or private. Child ren at all ages viewed flags as social conventions (i.e., alterable), and s ymbolic acts of flag-burning occurring in public locations were judged more negatively than private transgressions. Age differences were found in eval uations of instrumental violations and in justifications used to evaluate f lag-burning incidents. Overall, findings suggest that despite age-related i ncreases in understanding of flags as meaningful collective symbols, childr en at all ages considered transgressions to be important and to have moral consequences (i.e., psychological harm).