Lecture 8 - Moral development Flashcards
1
Q
Definition of morality?
A
a set of principles for action which derives from social ideas of right and wrong
2
Q
Definition of moral reasoning?
A
cognitive processes underlying the consideration of moral rules, their basis and their conflicts (complex problems)
3
Q
How did Piaget examine children’s moral reasoning?
A
- using clinical interviews
-> interviewed about games and rules
-> posing moral dilemmas
4
Q
Piaget’s methods?
A
- 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
5
Q
What are the 3 stages of moral development - Piaget?
A
- 0-5 years - amoral/premoral
-> played game but didn’t understand there were rules - 5-10 years - heteronomous morality/ morality realism
-> understood rules but did not understand that they were just rules - 10 years + - autonomous morality/ moral relativism
-> understood that rules are conventional and alterable by social consent
6
Q
Piagetian shift?
A
- 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
7
Q
Kohlberg’s extension of Piaget’s ideas?
A
- claimed that cognitive development drives moral reasoning
8
Q
Kohlberg’s level and stages - Level 1?
A
- 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
9
Q
Kohlberg’s level and stages - Level 2?
A
- 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
10
Q
Kohlberg’s level and stages - Level 3?
A
- 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
11
Q
Kohlberg and gender?
A
- 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
12
Q
Kohlberg and culture?
A
- 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
13
Q
Moral intuitions - the trolley problem?
A
- 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
14
Q
Hamlin - moral core?
A
- suggests young children have a ‘moral core’ evolved in order to facilitate cooperation
- argues that some aspects of morality must emerge without much experience
15
Q
Toddler morality?
A
- 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
