Lecture 8 - Moral development

Question 1

Definition of morality?

Answer 1

a set of principles for action which derives from social ideas of right and wrong

Question 2

Definition of moral reasoning?

Answer 2

cognitive processes underlying the consideration of moral rules, their basis and their conflicts (complex problems)

Question 3

How did Piaget examine children’s moral reasoning?

Answer 3

• using clinical interviews
  -> interviewed about games and rules
  -> posing moral dilemmas

Question 4

Piaget’s methods?

Answer 4

• He approached children in the playground and:
  -> asked them to teach him the rules of the game
  -> played the game with them
  -> watched them playing together
  -> asked them where the rules come from and if they could be changed

Question 5

What are the 3 stages of moral development - Piaget?

Answer 5

1. 0-5 years - amoral/premoral
   -> played game but didn’t understand there were rules
2. 5-10 years - heteronomous morality/ morality realism
   -> understood rules but did not understand that they were just rules
3. 10 years + - autonomous morality/ moral relativism
   -> understood that rules are conventional and alterable by social consent

Question 6

Piagetian shift?

Answer 6

• big movement when children start to understand that intentions can be separate from consequences
• comes with understanding that rules are social agreements not inviolable truths
• also start to understand that the principle behind the rule might matter more than the rule

Question 7

Kohlberg’s extension of Piaget’s ideas?

Answer 7

• claimed that cognitive development drives moral reasoning

Question 8

Kohlberg’s level and stages - Level 1?

Answer 8

• level 1 = pre conventional = morality of an action is determined by its consequence for the actor
• stage 1 = heteronomous morality = obedience and punishment orientation (avoiding punishment) - a bad action is one you are punished for
• stage 2 = individualistic, instrumental morality = self-interest orientation (what’s in it for me?)
• most children are in these 2 stages

Question 9

Kohlberg’s level and stages - Level 2?

Answer 9

• level 2 = conventional = morality of an action is determined by the extent to which it conforms to social rules
• stage 3 = interpersonally normative morality = interpersonal accord and conformity (appearing like a good boy)
• stage 4 = social system morality = authority and maintaining social order

Question 10

Kohlberg’s level and stages - Level 3?

Answer 10

• level 3 = post conventional = morality of an action is determined by a set of general principles that reflect core values
• stage 5 = human right and social welfare morality = evaluating that laws are in accord with human rights and values
• stage 6 = morality of the universalizable, reversible, prescriptive general ethical principles = universal principles (idea of having a principled conscience)
• not all adults reach stage 5 and very few reach stage 6

Question 11

Kohlberg and gender?

Answer 11

• he only studied boys
• Gilligan said that there were gender differences:
  -> men see morality in terms of justice and abstract rules
  -> women see morality in terms of compassion

Question 12

Kohlberg and culture?

Answer 12

• making this universal claim is a problem across cultures
• different cultures may have differing emphasis on liberty and freedom vs obedience and community, making them appear as though they are in different stages

Question 13

Moral intuitions - the trolley problem?

Answer 13

• a case where a trolley is running out of control down a track where there are 5 people tied down
• fortunately you can flip a switch which sends it down another track with just 1 person
• the common intuition is that it is ok to flip the switch

Question 14

Hamlin - moral core?

Answer 14

• suggests young children have a ‘moral core’ evolved in order to facilitate cooperation
• argues that some aspects of morality must emerge without much experience

Question 15

Toddler morality?

Answer 15

• young children (2-3 years) are implicitly aware of the rules of the game, even when they have not been explicitly told anything
• 3 year olds show awareness of rules and an understanding that rules may change
• in spontaneous peer conflict 3 yr olds are more rigid than 5 yr olds

Question 16

Infant morality - Hamlin?

Answer 16

• said that a moral sense which evolved to help collective action should encompass 3 abilities:
  1. moral goodness
  2. moral evaluation
  3. moral retribution

Question 17

Moral goodness?

Answer 17

• this is feeling concern for others despite moral costs (empathy)
• by 13-14 months we can see prosocial behaviour - designed to help someone else - such as sharing, showing, comforting a child in distress

Question 18

Moral evaluation?

Answer 18

• the is identifying and disliking uncooperative others
• involves analysing others behaviours

Question 19

Moral retribution?

Answer 19

• punishing those who misbehave
• can be seen around 5 months