Chapter 11: Morality Flashcards
What is morality from the cognitive perspective?
Children develop knowledge about ethical rules and make judgments about the “goodness” or “badness” of certain acts
What is morality from the behavioural perspective?
Children behave in “good” or “bad” ways in situations that require ethical decisions
What is morality from the emotional perspective?
Children have “good” and “bad” feelings about their behaviors
How did Piaget study moral development?
- Piaget’s cognitive theory of moral development
- Studying how children’s attitudes toward rules in games changed as the children got older
- Examined the way children’s judgments of the seriousness of transgressions changed with age
- Proposed a stage theory in 3 stages (Premoral stage, Moral realism, Moral reciprocity)
Describe the premoral stage
children show little concern for rules (under age 5) of a game
Describe the moral realism stage
- children show great respect for rules and apply them quite inflexibly (age 5+) in a game
- —Moral Absolutionism - Rigid application of rules to all individuals regardless of their culture or circumstance (e.g, ask if children have the same rules for marbles, they will say yes)
- —-Immanent Justice - The notion that any deviation from rules will inevitably result in punishment or retribution. (Might relate falling off a bike to earlier not listening to parents)
Describe the moral reciprocity stage
children recognize that social rules are arbitrary and may be questioned and altered, consider the feelings and views of others, and believe in equal justice for all (age 11+)
What was the evaluation of Piaget’s theory?
- Research in Western cultures supports Piaget’s theory, but findings in other cultures have been less consistent
- Piaget underestimated children’s capacities
- –Children show understanding of intention at younger ages
What was Kohlberg’s cognitive theory of moral judgement?
There are levels (3) and within each there are 2 stages of moral judgement, based on presenting series of moral dilemna stories.
Describe the pre conventional level (level 1) of kohlberg’s theory of moral judgement
moral judgement is based on the desire to avoid punishment and gain rewards. This level not based on rules and norms that guide social interactions: 1) Avoid punishment 2) Seek rewards
Describe the conventional level (level 2) of Kohlberg’s theory of moral judgement
moral judgment is based on the motive to conform, either to get approval from others or to follow society’s rules and conventions.
- Conform to get approval from others (stage 3)
- Conform with society’s rules, laws, and conventions such as duty to family, marriage vows, or the country (stage 4)
Describe the Post conventional level (level 3) of Kohlberg’s theory of moral judgement
judgments are controlled by an internalized ethical code that is relatively independent of the approval or disapproval of others.
- Morality is based on society’s consensus about human rights (stage 5).
- Morality is based on abstract principles of justice and equality (stage 6). In stage 6, view rules and laws as arbitrary, but respect them because they protect human welfare.
What are the limitations of kohlberg’s theory?
- Research shows that people generally move through the stages of moral judgment in the same order as Kohlberg suggested
- Stages 5 and 6 have less clear support because few people reach these stages
- Findings have been consistent with Kohlberg’s view that progress is toward higher rather than lower stages
- Theory may not be universal as cultural differences have been found. People in collectivist cultures focus on community rather than personal standards
- In addition to cognitive development, the times in which people live can affect their moral judgments (E.g., civil rights movement and 9-11 attacks sensitize people to issues of fairness and justice)
- Kohlberg’s theory was based on only one type of data: verbal responses to interviews about moral dilemmas. People are more likely to endorse postconventional reasoning if they are asked to respond to multiple-choice questions rather than an open-ended interview (where participants had to verbally articulate/explain their moral judgements)
- Kohlberg’s hypothetical moral dilemmas differ from real-life dilemmas.
What are the new aspects of moral development?
- Expansion to include the area of civil rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion
- As children mature, their appreciation of the freedoms increases
- Children’s judgments about forms of government also change as they age. Starting at and increasing from grade 1, children view democratic governments as fairer
How did Carol gilligan expand the moral domainand what did she find in her research?
- Carol Gilligan expanded the moral domain to address gender issues and the dimension of caring. Kohlberg’s research participants had included only boys and men
- Gilligan questioned whether girls and women would show the same pattern of moral reasoning
- She found support for gender-linked moral orientations. Females: more caring approach to dilemmas, Males: focus more on individual rights and principles of justice
- However, men and women do not greatly differ in their appraisal of hypothetical moral dilemmas
What is Turiel’s Social convention domain?
- An area of social judgment focused on social expectations, norms, and regularities that help facilitate smooth and efficient functioning in society
- Norms for table manners, modes of greeting, and other forms of etiquette; bathing practices; respect for positions in a social hierarchy; and reciprocity in social exchanges
What did children view as worse than social conventions?
Children of all ages consistently view moral violations as worse than violations of social conventions. Moral violations viewed as resulting in harm to another person and violating norms of justice and fairness
How do children and adolescent view moral rules vs. social conventions?
- Both children and adolescents believe that moral rules are obligatory, absolute, universally applicable, invariant, and normatively binding
- They recognize that deviations from social conventions are merely impolite or disruptive violations of social rules and traditions
What is Turiel’s psychological domain?
- An area of social judgment focused on beliefs and knowledge of self and others
- Focuses on different issues
1) Personal issues - affect only the self, such as preferences and choices about one’s body, privacy, choice of friends, and recreational activities (tattoo, spiked hair)
2) Prudential issues - have immediate physical consequences for the self, such as safety, comfort, and health (smoking, drinking) are not moral decisions
3) Psychological issues - involve beliefs and knowledge of self and others and choices about revealing aspects of the self to others (e.g., a good friend does/does not share intimate details)
In Turiels psychological domain, what are children more open minded about and what do they understand morality?
Children are open minded about personal issues
Children also understand that…Individual choices are acceptable, Prudential transgressions are not as bad as moral transgressions
When do children start to learn the difference between right and wrong and when/why does this understanding increase?
Observations of toddlers’ interactions with mothers indicate that they begin to understand right and wrong as early as 16 months. Understanding increases between 2-3 years, Mothers engage children in “moral dialogues”
When do moral judgements advance and what does it stimulate?
- Moral judgments advance when parents initiate discussions about other people’s feelings, use disciplinary techniques that involve reasoning and explanation, and promote democratic family discussions
- This stimulates children to think about their actions and the implications of their actions for the welfare of others
Who else do children learn rules from?
Children also learn about the different types of rules from caregivers and teachers as well as their parents
What determines how effective the rule learned is?
Effectiveness depends on how well the message fits the child’s developmental level
What do authoritarian parents treat children’s conventional transgressions as (manners)
Authoritarian parents treat their children’s conventional transgression (manners, etiquette) as moral transgressions.
How authoritative parents teach their kids morals vs permissive and authoritarian parents?
Authoritative parents are more likely than authoritarian or permissive parents to establish clear and legitimate boundaries between moral, conventional, and personal issues for their adolescents
