Lee et al. (1997) Flashcards
Outline the background for this research by Lee et al.
Sweetser (1987) argued that the understanding of lying is greatly influenced by the cultural norms and moral values in which individuals are socialised.
What was the aim of research by Lee et al?
To test the effect of culture on children’s moral evaluations of lying and truth telling by comparing the moral judgements of Canadian children and Chinese children.
What research method was used by Lee et al?
A lab experiment with an independent measures design.
Element of
It was a cross-cultural study of Canadian and Chinese children.
What was the IV in research by Lee et al?
Whether the participant heard the social story or the physical story
Whether the participant heard (pro social) stories involving a child who intentionally carried out a good deed (a deed valued by adults in both
countries) or (antisocial) stories involving a child who intentionally carried out a bad deed (a deed viewed negatively in both cultures).
What were the 4 conditions in this study?
There were therefore four conditions:
Prosocial Behaviour/Truth-Telling stories
Prosocial Behaviour/Lie-Telling stories
Antisocial Behaviour/TruthTelling
stories
Antisocial Behaviour/Lie-Telling stories.
What was the DV in research by Lee et al?
Likart Scale
The rating given to the story character’s deed (ranging between very, very good and very, very naughty)
The rating given to what the character said (verbal statement) (ranging between very, very good and very, very naughty).
What was the sample used in research by Lee et al?
120 Chinese children: 40 x 7 year olds, 40 x 9 year olds and 40 x 11 year olds. From Hangzhou elementary schools.
108 Canadian children: 36 x 7 year olds, 40 x 9 year olds and 32 x 11 year olds from elementary schools in Fredricton.
How were children assigned to each condition?
Half of the Chinese children participated in the social story condition and the other half were placed in the physical story condition. The children were randomly assigned to each condition.
From the Canadian sample: 19 7-year-olds, 20 9-year-olds and 17 11-year-olds were randomly assigned to the social story condition and the other children were assigned to the physical story condition.
What was an example question asked in Lee et al’s research?
Prosocial Behaviour/Lie-Telling:
Here is Alex. Alex’s class had to stay inside at recess time because of bad weather, so Alex decided to tidy up the classroom for his teacher. (Question 1: Is what Alex did good or naughty?)
So Alex cleaned the classroom, and when the teacher returned after recess, she said to her students, “Oh, I see that someone has cleaned the
classroom for me.” The teacher then asked Alex, “Do you know who cleaned the classroom?” Alex said to his teacher, “I did not do it.”
(Question 2: Is what Alex did good or naughty?)
What were the materials used?
Each participant was tested individually
These were: very, very good (3 red stars), very good (2 red stars), good (1 red star), neither good not naughty (blue circle), naughty
(1 black cross), very naughty (2 black crosses), very, very naughty (3 black crosses).
Counterbalnacing
post-experimental discussions.
Outline the prosocial behaviour / truth telling situations
Children of both cultures rated the prosocial behaviours similarly.
Canadian children
at each age giving similar ratings to truth telling whereas Chinese children’s ratings became less positive as age increased
Outline the prosocial behaviour / lie telling situations
Canadian children rated lie telling in this situation negatively but as age increased their ratings became somewhat less negative.
Chinese children’s ratings of lie telling in this situation changed from negative to positive as age increased.
Outline the anti social behaviour / truth telling situations
Children from both cultures rated the antisocial behaviours similarly
Children from both cultures rated truth telling in this situation very positively
Outline the anti social behaviour / lie telling situations
Both Chinese and Canadian children rated lie telling negatively in this condition
Negative ratings increased with age, irrespective of culture
What are the main conclusions from Lee et als research?
lying and truth telling has a close relationship between socio-cultural practices.
Chinese children rate truth telling in prosocial situations less positively and lie telling in the same situations less negatively than Canadian
children.
Both Chinese and Canadian children show similar moral evaluations of lie telling and truth telling related to antisocial behaviours.
The emphasis on self-effacement and modesty in Chinese culture increasingly exerts its impact on Chinese children’s moral judgements.
