Lee

Question 1

Background?

Answer 1

Builds on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

Previous research (like Piaget) focused mainly on Western children

Wanted to explore if culture affects moral thinking, especially around lying and truth-telling

Question 2

Procedure?

Answer 2

Children were told 4 short stories (2 prosocial, 2 antisocial):
Pro-social: character does something good
Anti-social: character does something bad
In each story, the character either lies or tells the truth about what they did
Children were asked to rate how good or bad the character’s response was
Used a 7-point rating scale (stars for good, Xs for bad)

Question 3

Sample?

Answer 3

120 Chinese children
108 Canadian children
Aged 7, 9, and 11 years old
All from elementary schools in their respective countries

Question 4

Findings?

Answer 4

Chinese children:
Rated truth-telling in pro-social situations as less positive with age
Rated lying to be modest more positively as they got older
Canadian children:
Continued to value truth-telling positively
Rated lying as negative across all ages

Question 5

Conclusions?

Answer 5

Moral reasoning is influenced by cultural norms
Chinese children are influenced by Confucian values of modesty
Western children are more likely to value individual honesty
Shows both age and culture shape moral development

Question 6

Aim?

Answer 6

To investigate cross-cultural differences in children’s moral evaluations of lying and truth-telling,

Question 7

Nurture

Answer 7

Differences in moral reasoning came from cultural upbringing, not biology
Chinese vs. Canadian children judged lying/truth-telling differently due to social values

Question 8

Situational

Answer 8

Children’s judgments changed based on context of the story (pro-social vs. anti-social)
Also influenced by the cultural situation they were raised in

Question 9

holistic

Answer 9

Considers culture, age, social norms, and context of the behaviour
Goes beyond simple universal theories like Kohlberg’s

Question 10

🧪 Psychology as a Science

Answer 10

Used standardised stories, controls, and quantitative data (7-point scale)
Can be replicated and analysed objectively

Question 11

🌍 Ethnocentrism

Answer 11

Shows that Western moral theories (like Kohlberg’s) aren’t universal
Highlights that cultural context affects moral development
But: even though cross-cultural, the method still reflects Western psychological tools