Lecture 4 - Moral dev and reasoning Flashcards
Define morality
Rules and conventions about what people should do in interactions with others
- helping, sharing, comforting
- not altruism - as that involves a ‘cost’ for the person
Who are the important figures?
Piaget (1932)
Kohlberg (1984)
- Both formed “global stage theories - that argue:
- moral dev is gradual
- we learn to differentiate acting through conformity to conventions vs acting through moral principles
What was Piaget (1932) quote?
‘The moral judgement of the child’
- “All morality consists in a system of rules, and the essence of morality is to be found in the respect which the individual acquires for these rules”
Outline Piaget (1932)
- studied boys marble games
and how they acquired the rules, where they came from, and if they could be achanged - He asked:
• ‘teach me the rules’
• pretended to not know rules, and get child to teach them
• watched them play with others
• asked where rules came from and if they could be changed
Evaluate Piaget (1932)
X - small, western sample
√ - Linaza (1984) - supports this with spanish kids
√ - compared these rules to society - can break rules but there are consequences
Outline Piaget’s 3 stages of understanding rules he concluded from his marbles game
1) 4/5 years - rules weren’t understood
2) 4/5 - 9/10 rules come from higher authority (parents, gods, government)
3) 9-10+ rules seen as mutually agreed upon by players, can be changed if everyone agrees
What were Piagets 2 stages of moral dev?
Presented kids with moral dilemmas, concluded:
- Heteronomous stage (moral realism)
- Autonomous stage (moral subjectivism)
Outline Heteronomous stage
4-7 years old
- fixed
- morality comes from higher authority to be agreed upon by peers
- see justice/ rules as unchangable
- believe in imminent justice- if a rule is broken, punishment will immediately follow
- See punishent as inevitable and retributive
Moral realism
- see rules as absolute and cannot change, god or adults developed the rules
- dont take motive/ intentions into account
- every time the rule is broken, it is wrong
Outline Autonomous stage
9-10
- recognise laws/rules are made by people
- consider intentions/ consequences
Reciprocity - idea that peer relationships can enhance social understanding through mutual give-and-take - disagreements are discussed, reasoned and settled
Moral subjectivism - intent taking into account, punishment is suited to the offec
As morality develops, what did Piaget say shifted?
- heteronomy to autonomy
- egocentric to sociocentric (decentred) perspective
- Adult-child (assymetric) to peer (symmetric) social relations
- Objective to subjective perspectives
Outline Piaget’s Moral Vignettes (1932)
“A brief account, description or episode”
- gave kids moral dilemmas - cups behind the door or breaking the jar getting sweets
- Asked who is the naughtiest
What did the Vignettes show?
- Those before 9/10 judge on amount of damage (heteronomous)
- Afterwards they take into account motive (autonomous)
- more damage = larger moral violation
- if before 9-10 they said they would punish the tray boy more - based on material consequences
- also argued childs morality is linked to Cog Dev stages
Outline Kohlbergs procedures
- interviewed USA males (10-26) longitudinal study
- Asked moral dilemmas/ questions - like Heinz and the druggest
What were Kohlbergs assumptions
Assumed:
- Children move to higher stages as age increases
- pass through all stages
- each stage forms a structural whole
- stages = universal and cross-cultural
What are the 3 levels?
Level 1: Pre-conventional morality
Level 2: Conventional morality
Level 3: Post-conventional morality
Outline the stages of level 1: Pre-conventional morality
- heteronomous morality - never break rules, you will be punished, reasons in relation to self
- Individualism - instrumental purpose and exchange
Outline the stages of level 2: conventional morality
- Mutual Interpersonal expectations - relationships and conformity, right = conforming/ upholding rules, expectations and conventions
- Social system and conscience
Outline the stages of level 3: Post-conventional morality
- Social contract
6. Universal ethics principles
Outline Heinz and the druggest
- Needs an expensive drug to treat wife with cancer
- Only has half the money, doctor wont sell it - he offers to pay rest later, he is declined
- Can either steal the drug and break rules
- or obey rules and let his wife die
- responses to this determine what stage people are in
Outline stage 1 of level 1: pre-conventional morality
Stage 1: Heteronomous morality - rules should be obeyed - their behaviour is controlled by threat of punishment - Obedience for its own sake - Think: Heinz shouldnt let wife die - he will get in trouble BUT may get caught and go to jail
Outline stage 2 of level 1: pre-conventional morality
Stage : individualism, intstrumental purpose & exchange
- follow rules when its in someones immediate interest
- acting to meet interests/ needs
- ‘right’ = deal/agreement
- Judge behaviour on whether it was fair/ satisfied personal need
- ThinK
Could give drug back if caught
BUT
buisnessman needs to make money
Outline stage 3 of level 2: conventional morality
Stage 3: Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships and conformity
(i.e. Good girl, nice boy)
- Judge behaviour in regard to what makes people happy/ what helps others
- Living up to expectations
- important to have good motives
- have to show concern, trust, loyalty, gratitude
- think about motivations/ intent
- Think:
- A good husband would do that
BUT
It would be druggist’s fault if she died
Outline stage 4 of level 2: conventional morality
Stage 4: Social System & Conscience
- (AKA Law & Order orientation)
- Judge behaviour on if it adheres to rules from authority
- Authority must be respected and social order must be maintained
- uphold laws even in extreme cases - unless conflicting with other social duties
- ‘right’ = contributing to society
- Think:
Heinz would be responsible for wifes death if he did nothing, has to steal
BUT
Always wrong to steal and he will feel guilty
Outline stage 5 of level 3: post-conventional morality
Stage 5: social contract
- judge behaviour on if it adheres to society norms/ rules
- recognises different societies have different norms/ rules
- Social contract to uphold rles
- some rules universal - protect life
-Think:
Heinz is justified, rule doesnt take into account his situation
BUT
Will lose reputation, respect for self
Outline stage 6 of level 3: post-conventional morality
Stage 6: Universal ethical principles
- Judge behaviour on universal abstract/ ethical beliefts - all socieites should agree on (i.e. human rights)
- justice, equality and dignity are universal and should be upheld at all time
- Think:
not stealing will let down conscience, although he respects laws
BUT
Other people may need it more who can afford it
Evalute Kohlberg’s stages
X - all male
X - only examines moral reasoning, not behaviour
X - Methodological problems
- spontaneous verbal responses which need to be coded
- hypothetical, complex scenarios
- Different situations, may measure different thing
X - Damon (1977) Heinz doesnt relate to child - repeated it with sharing pocket money
Outline Gilligans criticisms
- Viewed kohlberg’s theory as Justice perspective
- Developed a care perspective - more inclusive
- Criticised that there was only males, stages only reflect male dev
- Looked at womens morality:
Men: principle > people
Women: Principle < people
Outline Gilligans (1986)procedure
Studied womens responses to abortions dilemmas
- interviewed pregnant women about whether they would have one
- considered the dillemma focusing on responsibility not on an abstract/ justice-orientated principle (like men did)
- Womens reasoning was based on ‘ethic of care’
Outline Gilligan & Attanucci (1988)
- boys focused more on justice concerns
- Girls focused more on care concerns
Outline Warks & Krebs (1996)
Found females made more care-based judgements on personal dilemmas
Outline Walker (1984)
No consistent gender differences in range of morality studies.
