Moral Development

Question 1

Which two researchers proposed the most influential theories of moral development?

Answer 1

Kohlberg & Piaget

Question 2

What are the two levels in Piaget’s theory of moral development called?

Answer 2

Heteronomous morality & autonomous morality

Question 3

What is the age range for heteronomous morality?

Answer 3

Ages 4 to 7

Question 4

Describe heteronomous morality

Answer 4

Also called morality of constraint; children view rules as absolute & unchangeable & believe in imminent justice (i.e., violations of rules inevitably lead to punishment)

Question 5

When judging damaging acts in heteronomous morality stage, on what are children’s judgments based?

Answer 5

Based on damaging act’s consequences, i.e., more negative the consequences, the worse the act

Question 6

According to Piaget, on what is heteronomous (inflexible moral reasoning) based?

Answer 6

Due to combination of preoperational egocentrism & constraint of parental authority

Question 7

When do children shift morality levels, i.e., from heteronomous to autonomous? At what age-ish? What is believed to be the “cause(s) of” this shift?

Answer 7

By age 7 or 8; due to a decline in egocentrism, social interactions w/peers, & gradual release from adult vigilance & constraint

Question 8

Autonomous morality is also known as…

Answer 8

Morality of reciprocity

Question 9

How is autonomous morality described?

Answer 9

Rules recognized as being determined by agreement between individuals & as result, alterable

Question 10

How do children judge damaging acts in autonomous morality?

Answer 10

They consider the intentions of the actor to be most important.

Question 11

Piaget’s interest in children’s understanding and use of deception at various ages

Answer 11

Under age 6 = usually equates lies w/things they are not supposed to say, i.e., lies similar to “dirty words”
Between ages 6-10 = label any untrue statement as a “lie”
By age 11 = understand that only a intentionally false statement is a lie

Question 12

At what age did Piaget believe children started intentionally lying? What has more recent research found?

Answer 12

About age 7; recent studies suggest children as young as 3-4 intentionally lie to avoid punishment or embarrassment

Question 13

Overview of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development; how did he study morality?

Answer 13

3 levels = (1) preconventional, (2) conventional, (3) post-conventional

Within each level there are 2 stages =
Stage 1 - Punishment & obedience orientation
Stage 2 - Instrumental hedonistic orientation
Stage 3 - “Good boy-good girl” (social relations) orientation
Stage 4 - Authority & social order-maintaining orientation
Stage 5 - Social contract & individual rights orientation
Stage 6 - Universal ethical principles orientation

Presented subjects w/hypothetical moral dilemma & asked them what though person described should do

Question 14

What is morality based on at preconventional level?

Answer 14

Morality based on consequences of the act; bxs that are punished = “bad” & bxs that are rewarded = “good”

Question 15

Focus of Stage 1 =

Answer 15

Avoiding punishment when making moral judgments

Question 16

Focus of Stage 2 =

Answer 16

That which satisfies their own needs as moral

Question 17

What guides morality at the conventional level?

Answer 17

The desire to maintain existing social laws, rules, norms

Question 18

Focus of Stage 3 =

Answer 18

Individual is oriented toward maintaining approval of relatives & friends

Question 19

Focus of Stage 4 =

Answer 19

Person’s orientation is toward obeying society’s laws & rules

Question 20

How do individuals at post-conventional level define morality?

Answer 20

In terms of self-chosen principles

Question 21

What is person in Stage 5’s orientation?

Answer 21

Toward upholding democratically-determined laws but recognizes that laws can be ignored or changed for a valid reason

Question 22

What does morality reflect in Stage 6?

Answer 22

Morality reflects fundamental universal ethical principles (especially justice & fairness) that transcend legal standards

Question 23

Is there a one-to-one correspondence between age and level of moral reasoning?

Answer 23

No, but in general, transition between preconventional & conventional occurs between ages 10-13, while transition between conventional and post-conventional occurs in mid-adolesscence to later, if it occurs at all

Question 24

What are a few of the key assumptions underlying Kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 24

(1) Invariant sequence of stages, though Stages 5 & 6 are not reached by most people
(2) Moral development is an outgrowth of cognitive development, i.e., occurs as result of cognitive disequilibrium or noticing that one’s current moral reasoning doesn’t fully account for reality
(3) Each stage represents an organized whole, i.e., during each Stage, person applies distinct pattern of moral reasoning to a wide variety of situations

Question 25

Do Kohlberg’s stages relate more to moral reasoning that to moral conduct?

Answer 25

Yes, as a low correlation between moral development and actual behavior has been found; he didn’t believe there was a direct correlation between the two; however, thought that the higher the stage of moral reasoning, the stronger the relationship between reasoning and behavior

Question 26

Does cognitive growth on its own guarantee that a person will progress through the stages? Do other factors have an effect on moral development?

Answer 26

No and yes

Question 27

What are some other factors that can affect moral development?

Answer 27

Social perspective-taking (ability to understand the perspective of others), parents’ childrearing practices, peer interactions, and formal education

Question 28

Who criticized Kohlberg’s theory, believing that it had a “male bias”?

Answer 28

Gilligan; she believed that it emphasized principles of justice & fairness and, therefore, showed a male bias b/c males are more likely to refer to these principles when making moral judgments

Question 29

What did Gilligan believe that women were more likely to refer to when making moral judgments?

Answer 29

Interpersonal connectedness and care

Question 30

Has the research generally supported Gilligan’s claims?

Answer 30

No; studies has shown there are no consistent differences between males & females in terms of moral orientation (justice versus care) & that males & females both progress through same stages of moral development

Question 31

Has research shown that children develop higher levels of conscience when parents rely on love-oriented discipline methods like praise, social isolation, & withdrawal of affection as opposed to object-oriented techniques like tangible rewards, physical punishment, or withdrawal of material objects or privileges?

Answer 31

No, recent research indicates relationship between type of discipline & development of conscience may be more complex than previously thought

Question 32

Kochanska found that for the development of conscience, the most effective form of discipline depended on the child’s temperament. More specifically…

Answer 32

Toddlers w/fearful temperament develop conscience better when gentle discipline that deemphasizes power and capitalizes on child’s internal discomfort, than when parent uses negative discipline based on power, threats, or angry commands.

Question 33

What did Hoffman propose regarding gentle discipline and conscience development?

Answer 33

It elicits an optimal level of arousal in child which facilitates semantic processing of parent’s message that can then become internalized

Question 34

Was gentle discipline effective in promoting conscience in fearless toddlers?

Answer 34

No; they didn’t respond with internal discomfort when presented with gentle discipline after bx transgressions

Question 35

Why does Kochanska believe gentle discipline doesn’t work with fearless toddlers?

Answer 35

May be due to insufficient level of arousal among fearless children in response to gentle discipline

Question 36

What does Kochanska propose as the best way to promote conscience in fearless children?

Answer 36

Through use of a secure attachment and maternal responsiveness which promotes child’s cooperation based on positive motivation in relationship rather than anxiety over consequences of misbehavior