Lifespan Social Cog and Moral Development (Ch 13)

Question 1

Kohlberg’s Theory - Levels

Answer 1

moral growth progresses through a universal and invariant sequence of three broad moral levels
Each of which is composed of two distinct stages
Each stage grows out of the preceding stage and represents a more complex way of thinking about moral issues

Level I: Preconventional morality
Level II: Conventional morality
Level III: Postconventional morality

Question 2

Kohlberg Level I (stages)

Answer 2

Level I: Preconventional morality - punishment and reward
Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience orientation
Stage 2: Instrumental hedonism

Question 3

Kohlberg Level II (stages)

Answer 3

Level II: conventional morality - following rules
Stage 3: good boy or good girl morality
Stage 4: Authority and social order maintaining morality

Question 4

Kohlberg Level III (Stages)

Answer 4

Level III: Postconventional morality - what you believe is right or wrong
Stage 5: Morality of contract, individual rights, democractically acceptable laws
Stage 6: Morality of individual principles of conscience

Question 5

Social cognition

Answer 5

is thinking about perceptions, thoughts, emotions, motives, and bx of the self, other ppl, grps, and social systems

Question 6

Theory of mind

Answer 6

Understanding that people have mental states such as desires, beliefs, and intentions, and these mental states guide bxs

Question 7

Social perspective taking

Answer 7

The ability to adopt another person’s perspective and understand their thoughts and feelings in relation to your own
Important aspect of social cog development

Question 8

Developmental scientists focus on 3 basic components of morality

Answer 8

1. Affective
2. Cognitive
3. Behavioral

Question 9

Affective component of morality

Answer 9

Consists of feelings that surround right or wrong actions and that motivate moral thoughts and actions

Question 10

Cognitive component of morality

Answer 10

Centers on how we conceptualize right and wrong and make decisions about how to behave

Question 11

Behavioral component of morality

Answer 11

Reflects how we behave when, for example, we experience temptation to cheat or are called upon by a needy person

Question 12

Moral affect

Answer 12

positive and negative emotions related to matters of right and wrong - can motivate bx

Question 13

Piaget’s theory of moral development includes three aspects

Answer 13

1. premoral period,
2. heteronomous morality, and
3. autonomous morality

Question 14

Premoral period

Answer 14

Piaget’s theory of moral development - first aspect
During the preschool years, children show little awareness or understanding of rules and cannot be considered moral beings

Question 15

Heteronomous morality

Answer 15

Piaget’s theory of moral development - Second aspect

Children 6 to 10 years old take rules seriously, believing that they are handed down by parents and other authority figures and are sacred and unalterable.

They judge rule violations as wrong based on the extent of damage done, not paying much attention to whether the violator had good or bad intentions

Question 16

Autonomous morality

Answer 16

Piaget’s theory of moral development - Third aspect
At age 10 or 11, most children enter a final stage of moral development in which they begin to appreciate that rules are agreements between individuals – agreements that can be changed through a consensus of those individuals
In judging actions, they pay more attention to whether the person’s intentions were good or bad than to the consequences of the act

Question 17

Influences on moral thinking - Freud

Answer 17

Emphasized role of the parents

Question 18

Influences on moral thinking - Piaget and Kohlberg

Answer 18

two main influences on moral development are

1. cognitive growth and
2. social interactions with equals

Question 19

Cognitive growth

Answer 19

• At the conventional level, the ability to take other people’s perspectives is required
• At the postconventional level, formal-operational thinking is required

Question 20

Social interactions with equals

Answer 20

• Negotiations to work out differences in perspectives
• Advanced schooling
• Participation in a complex, diverse, democratic society

Question 21

Moral bx according to social learning theory

Answer 21

According to social-learning theory, moral behavior is learned in the same way that other social behaviors are learned: through observational learning and reinforcement and punishment principle

Question 22

Bandura emphasized that moral cognition is linked to moral action through self-regulatory mechanisms that involve

Answer 22

• Monitoring and evaluating our actions
• Disapproving of ourselves when we contemplate doing wrong
• Approving of ourselves when we behave responsibly or humanely

Question 23

Evolution theorists and moral bx

Answer 23

Evolutionary theorists focus on how moral thought, emotion, and behavior may have helped humans adapt to their environments over the course of evolution
Prosocial behaviors (cooperation, altruism) and mechanisms for controlling and inhibiting harmful behaviors may have evolved because they enhanced survival

Question 24

The Adolescent – Changes in Moral Reasoning

Answer 24

The main developmental trend in moral reasoning during adolescence is a shift from preconventional to conventional reasoning

• During this period, most individuals begin to express a genuine concern with living up to the moral standards that parents and other authorities have taught them and ensuring that laws designed to make human relations just and fair are taken seriously and maintained
• Postconventional reasoning does not emerge until adulthood, if it emerges at all

Question 25

Hoffman (2000) compared childrearing approaches that foster moral behavior and moral thought and affect - 3 approaches

Answer 25

1. Love withdrawal
2. Power assertion
3. Induction

Question 26

Love withdrawal

Answer 26

withholding attention, affection, or approval after a child misbehaves (creating anxiety by threatening a loss of reinforcement from parents)

Question 27

Power assertion

Answer 27

using power to threaten, chastise, administer spankings, take away privileges (using punishment)

more often associated with moral immaturity than with moral maturity

concluded that mild power assertion tactics such as a forceful “No,” a reprimand, or the removal of privileges can be useful occasionally

Question 28

Induction

Answer 28

explaining to a child why the behavior is wrong and should be changed by emphasizing how it affects other people

more often positively associated with children’s moral maturity than either love withdrawal or power assertion

works well because it breeds empathy

Question 29

Effective parents use …

Answer 29

proactive parenting strategies
- Tactics designed to prevent misbehavior and reduce the need for correction or discipline (e.g., distraction for younger children and explicit teaching of values for older children)

Question 30

Kochanska and colleagues found that children are easiest to socialize if…

Answer 30

• They are by temperament fearful or inhibited (likely to experience guilt and distress)
• They are capable of effortful control, and therefore are able to inhibit their urges to engage in wrongdoing

Question 31

dual-process models of morality

Answer 31

New approach to morality

- both (1) deliberate thought and (2) emotion/intuition inform decisions about moral issues and motivate behavior

Question 32

Religiosity

Answer 32

or religiousness

- generally been defined as sharing the beliefs and participating in the practices of an organized religion

Question 33

Spirituality

Answer 33

• involves a quest for ultimate meaning and for a connection with something greater than oneself
• Spirituality may be carried out within the context of a religion (some people are both religious and spiritual) or outside it (some people say they are spiritual but not religious)

Question 34

Certain abilities are considered important early signs of a theory of mind…

Answer 34

• Infant’s ability to engage in JOINT ATTN
• First mos of life - begin to understand ppl have their own intentions, etc. partly from their own actions
• 1-2 yrs - PRETEND PLAY
• Able to IMITATE OTHERS
• Display EMOTIONAL UNDERSTANDING (eg comforting crying playmate)

Question 35

Formulating a theory of mind has consequences for development…

Answer 35

• more advanced social skills and better social adjustment

- understand others better

Question 36

Theory-of-mind skills also can be used for inappropriate purposes such as…

Answer 36

bullies and good liars often are adept at “mind reading”

Question 37

Describing and Evaluating Other People - younger than 7 or 8

Answer 37

physical appearance, possessions, and activities

Question 38

Describing and Evaluating Other People- Around age 7 or 8

Answer 38

beginning to think about people in terms of enduring psychological traits (“nice,” “funny,” “bossy”)

Question 39

Describing and Evaluating Other People- 11 or 12

Answer 39

more use of psychological traits to explain why people behave as they do (“. . . because he is mean”)

Question 40

Describing and Evaluating Other People- adolescents

Answer 40

describe others in psychological terms – traits, interests, values, and feelings
- Adolescents can incorporate seeming inconsistencies into their understanding of others
Eg “She brags but it is because she is insecure and wants to hide her insecurities”

Question 41

Selman (1976) described the development of social perspective-taking abilities in stages

Answer 41

• 3 to 6 = egocentric; tend to assume that others share their point of view
• 8 to 10, as concrete-operational cognitive abilities solidify = appreciate that two people can have different points of view even if they have access to the same information
• age 12 = formal-operational stage of cognitive development become capable of mentally juggling multiple perspectives

Question 42

Some researchers have detected deficiencies in the social-cognitive skills of older adults - reason

Answer 42

Declines in basic cognitive functions such as working memory and processing speed can take a toll on social-cognitive performance
- It is mainly when elderly people become socially isolated or inactive that their social cognitive skills become rusty

Question 43

moral reasoning

Answer 43

– the thinking process involved in deciding whether an act is right or wrong
- believed to progress through an invariant sequence

Question 44

Social-learning theorists believe moral behavior is believed to be strongly influenced by …

Answer 44

• situational influences -

- what we do (moral performance) is not always reflective of our internalized values and standards (moral competence)