Lee Et Al Flashcards
What year was Lee et al’s study?
1997
What is culture?
The human-made part of the environment including the ways people do things as well as beliefs, values and norms
What did Hofstede propose?
Cultures are either individualistic or collectivist
What is an individualistic culture?
Identities are defined by their personal choices and achievements
Their self-reliance and their right to “do their own thing” is emphasised
What is a collectivist culture?
Identities are defined by the groups they see themselves as a part of
The group goals take priority over individual goals and maintaining the group harmony is important
Are cultures completely individualistic or deterministic?
No but in general the west is more individualistic and the east is more collectivist
What was the aims of Lee et al’s study?
Culture ~ to find out if the culture a child grows up in affects their views about truth-telling and lying
Age ~ to find out if the views of children about truth-telling and lying change as they grow older
What type of study was Lee et Al’s?
A snapshot (cross-sectional) study
In Lee et Al’s study which country represented collectivist cultures?
China
In Lee et Al’s study which country represented individualistic cultures?
Canada
What were the three ages of children in Lee et Al’s study?
7
9
11
How many Chinese 7 year olds were in Lee et Al’s study and what was the gender split?
40
20M + 20F
How many Chinese 9 year olds were in Lee et Al’s study and what was the gender split?
40
20M+20F
How many Chinese 11 year olds were in Lee et Al’s study and what was the gender split?
40
20M+20F
How many Canadian 7 year olds were in Lee et Al’s study and what was the gender split?
36
20M+16F
How many Canadian 9 year olds were in Lee et Al’s study and what was the gender split?
40
24M+16F
How many Canadian 11 year olds were in Lee et Al’s study and what was the gender split?
32
14M+18F
Were the same children used for the different ages and why?
No as this was a snapshot (cross-sectional) study
What is a snapshot (cross-sectional) study?
A study that analyzes data of variables collected at ONE GIVEN POINT IN TIME across a sample population
What were the four story stypes read to the children in Lee et Al’s study?
~ A child would behave anti-socially and then lie to their teacher about their actions (deny it)
~ A child would behave anti-socially and then tell the truth to their teacher about their actions (admit it)
~ A child would behave pro-socially and then lie to their teacher about their actions (deny it)
~ A child would behave anti-socially and then tell the truth to their teacher about their actions (admit it)
What type of stories did the children receive?
Half received “social” stories and the other half received “physical” stories
In Lee et Al’s study what was a social story?
Stories in which the behaviour had an impact on another child
In Lee et Al’s study what was a physical story?
Stories in which the behaviour had an impact on the environment
What was the steps in Lee et Al’s study?
Children were read all four story styles
The order varied to different children
Children then had to answer two questions
Children answered using a rating scale +3 to - 3 (+3 very very good and -3 very very naughty)
What were the two questions children had to answer?
~ Is what _____ did good or naughty?
~ Is what _____ said to their teacher good or naughty?
What were the findings of Lee et al’s study?
~ Children in China view telling the truth about doing something pro-social less positively the older they get (seen as wanting praise)
~ Children in China view telling the truth about doing something pro-social less positively the older they get (seen as wanting praise)
~ Both Chinese and Canadian children viewed telling the truth about anti-social actions very positively
~ Both Chinese and Canadian children viewed lying about anti-social actions negatively and in both cultures ratings became more negative as children got older
What is the summary of results in Lee et Al’s study?
For the pro-social stories, culture and age influenced children’s views on truth-telling and lying
For the anti-social stories, culture had no influence on children’s views on truth-telling and lying, while age did
What is the conclusion of Lee et Al’s study?
Moral development is different in different cultures as a result of social-cultural norms and practices
It is not only as a results of cognitive development as earlier research (Kohlberg 1968) suggests
What debates does Lee et Al’s link to?
Nurture
Determinism
Holism
What side of the Nature vs Nurture debate does Lee et Al’s study link to and why?
~ Nurture
~ Suggests our morals are influenced by the cultures we grew up in
What side of the Determinism vs Free will debate does Lee et Al’s study link to and why?
~ Deterministic
~ Suggests morals are caused by culture
~ Environmental determinism
What side of the Reductionism vs Holism debate does Lee et Al’s study link to and why?
~ Holism
~ Investigates both age and culture as influences on moral development
Why could Lee et Al’s study be considered ethnocentric?
~ Canada may not represent all individualistic culture and China may not represent all collectivist cultures
~ Stories may have been perceived differently in each culture
Why could Lee et Al’s study be considered not ethnocentric?
Studied children from China and Canada
How has Lee et Al’s study changed our understanding of the key theme of the developmental area?
~ Suggested the culture a child grows up in can have an effect on the development of their moral thinking
~ It isn’t talking about “levels” or “stages” of moral development
How has Lee et Al’s study not changed our understanding of the key theme of the developmental area?
~ Both Kohlberg’s and Lee et al’s children’s moral thinking changes as they grow up
~ Doesn’t find anything to challenge the idea of moral thinking developing in a sequence
What are the similarities between Kohlberg’s and Lee et Al’s study?
~Both studies are cross-cultural
~ Kohlberg - studied boys in the US and then Taiwan, Turkey, Mexico, Malaysia, the UK and Canada
~ Lee et al - studied children from China and Canada
~ Both involved giving children scenarios
~ Kohlberg - Gave boys moral dilemmas every 3 years (e.g. the Heinz dilemma)
~ Lee et al - Gave children 4 stories (social or physical)
What are the differences between Kohlberg’s and Lee et Al’s study?
~ Longitudinal vs Snapshot
~ Kohlberg - study was conducted over 12 years so boys started age 10-16 and finished age 22-28
~ Lee et al - studied different children in different age groups (7, 9 and 11)
~ The gender mix of participants:
~ Kohlberg - studied 75 boys from the USA
~ Lee et al - studied 118 boys and 110 girls from China and Canada
