Ch14 Moral Development

Question 1

Morality of Constraint

Answer 1

Moral reasoning of children who have not yet
reached concrete operations (cognitive stage)
 See rules and duties as
unchangeable “givens”
established by adult
 Believe that what determines
whether an action is good or
bad is the consequence of
the action, not the motive
behind it

Question 2

Kohlberg’s Theory
of Moral Judgment

Answer 2

Proposed three levels of moral judgment:
1. Preconventional: Moral reasoning
is self-centered, focusing on getting
rewards and avoiding punishment
2. Conventional: Moral reasoning is
centered on social relationships
3. Postconventional: Moral
reasoning is involved with ideals,
focusing on moral principles

Question 3

Critique of Kohlberg’s Theory

Answer 3

Criticisms:
 Reflects a biased, intellectualized Western
conception of morality not applicable to non-
Western cultures
 View that moral reasoning development is
discontinuous
 Most hotly debated issue: sex differences

Question 4

Now: Social Domain Theory of
Moral Development

Answer 4

The general view now is that moral reasoning
occurs not through stage-like change but
through gradual change based on a child’s
social interactions with peers and adults as
well as through direct socialization from the
parents

Question 5

By age 3

Answer 5

children believe that violations of
moral rules are more wrong than are
violations of social conventions

Question 6

By age 4

Answer 6

children believe that moral
transgressions are wrong

Question 7

Conscience

Answer 7

Internal regulatory mechanism that
increases individual’s ability to
conform with standards of conduct
accepted in his/her culture
 The conscience of a young child
primarily reflects internalized parental
standards

Question 8

Conscience is inborn

Answer 8

By age 2, children
recognize moral standards;
they exhibit guilt when they
do something wrong.
 With age, children take on
their parents’ moral values.
 Temperaments matter—
fearless children show
less guilt than do fearful
children—even with
gentle discipline.
 The allele variant of the
gene SLC6A4 makes
children reactive to their
rearing environment.

Question 9

Altruistic Prosocial Behavior

Answer 9

The origins of altruistic prosocial behavior are rooted in
the capacity to feel empathy and sympathy