moral development Flashcards
what three principles make the foundation for moral judgment?
justice, welfare, and fairness (help us make the distinction between right and wrong)
according to piaget, what is the role of cognitive development in moral development?
as cognitive development matures, moral judgement develops, as children are increasingly able to take intentions into account
how did piaget assess moral judgment?
- used short stories to determine how children perceive right and wrong
- concluded that children pass through 3 different stages of moral development
describe piaget’s three stages of moral development and when they each occur
- premoral stage (0-5 years): little understanding of rules so they can’t make judgments of right and wrong; behaviour is regulated by caregivers
- heteronomous stage (5-10 years): rules are fixed and can never be broken; morality is obeying the rules of authority figures; outcome of an action is more important that the intention
- autonomous stage (10+ years): rules are not absolute and can be changed; consider moral principles such as fairness when deciding what is right or wrong; intentions matter
describe Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning and when each stage occurs
- preconventional (3-7 years): focus on avoiding punishment and getting rewards; intentions don’t matter; no personal sense of right/wrong; rules are fixed and absolute (similar to piaget’s heteronomous stage)
- conventional (8-13): focus on compliance with social expectations, conventions, and duties; capable of considering intentions (similar to piaget’s autonomous stage)
- postconventional (13+, though not everyone reaches this stage): morality of an action is based on the best interest of society or maintaining universal ethical principles; rules are seen as social contracts that can be changed to meet needs of society
what is the heinz dilemma? how would someone in each stage of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning theory respond?
dilemma: (why) is it wrong/right for Heinz to steal a drug that will cure his wife’s cancer?
- preconventional: he should not steal the drug, because stealing is illegal and he could get caught OR he should steal the drug because if his wife dies he will be blamed
- conventional: he is right to steal because he means well OR it’s wrong to steal because it’s against the law. if everyone stole society would fall apart
- postconventional: it’s not wrong to steal the drug, because human life is worth more than money or personal property
what are the main weaknesses of Piaget and Kohlberg’s stage theories of moral development?
- their assumption that young children don’t know right from wrong is disproven through studies that show that rudimentary morality is innate
- underestimate children’s ability to appreciate intention (studies show 2 year olds can understand adult intention)
- don’t account for the fact that children and adults show inconsistencies in moral reasoning (eg. more likely to reason at lower levels if they can benefit personally)
what is the social domain theory of moral development?
- current dominant theory
- as children age, they are simultaneously developing knowledge about moral, societal, and personal domains. what they view as right/wrong depends on the domain
1. moral: reasoning about issues related to others’ welfare, rights, fairness, and justice (learned through socialization)
2. societal: understanding of social conventions, and that they can be changed, and are sometimes arbitrary
3. personal: actions in which individual preferences are the main consideration (no right/wrong choice since it doesn’t affect others)
according to the social domain theory, at what age can children begin to distinguish between issues in the three domains?
- 3-4 years
- believe that they should have control in the personal domain, but understand that they don’t decide in moral and societal domains
- but still struggle to make moral judgments in complex situations, especially those involving group identity (societal) (eg. treat strangers equally but show preference for same gender peers)
is the societal domain theory applicable across cultures?
- all cultures distinguish between issues of morality, societal conventions and personal preferences
- but, differences in what falls within those domains differ
what is prosocial behaviour?
- voluntary behaviour intended to benefit others
- helping, sharing, comforting others, etc.
what two feelings are important motivators of prosocial behaviour?
empathy and sympathy
perspective-taking -> empathy -> sympathy -> prosocial behaviour
describe the developmental timeline for prosocial behaviour
- before 18m: children react to others’ distress with self-focused distress rather than pro-social behaviour
- 18-24m: prosocial behaviour appears; help others without need for encouragement due to capacity to feel empathy and sympathy (sharing, comforting, helping); selective helping depending on trustworthiness/ friendliness/ helpfulness of other person and the type of help required (struggle with self-sacrifice)
- prosocial behaviour increases throughout childhood, particularly regarding emotional helping and self-sacrificial behaviour, due to more sophisticated moral reasoning and improved perspective taking ability
how do genetics impact individual differences in prosocial behaviour
- differences in oxytocin gene (involved in social bonding)
- differences in temperament (emotion regulation, behavioural inhibition/shyness)
how does socialization impact individual differences in prosocial behaviour
- modelling behaviour
- teaching prosocial values; sympathy-inducing rationales
- authoritative parenting is positively associated with kid’s prosocial behaviour
- providing opportunities for child to engage in prosocial behaviour (chores, community service); fosters perspective-taking
