Moral Development Flashcards
1
Q
3 views of children’s moral development
A
- Innately evil: Society must overcome young children’s selfish tendencies
- Innately good: Society corrupts young children’s good nature
- Amoral: Young children have no sense of morality
2
Q
children’s explicit moral reasoning
A
- The same behaviour can be moral or immoral depending on the underlying motivations/intent
- Researchers have studied children’s moral reasoning (ie. By reading them a story and asking them what was the right thing to do? What was the wrong thing to do?)
- These studies measure children’s explicit responses
3
Q
key theorists of moral development
A
- Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg
- Observed that mature moral reasoning is not seen until later childhood or adulthood
- Distinct stages of moral development (stage theories)
4
Q
Piaget’s structured interviews
A
- Conducted structured interviews and asked children to evaluate transgressions
- Ex. Who is naughtier? John, who accidentally breaks 10 plates while trying to set the table vs. Billy, who purposely breaks 5 plates because he’s mad that he didn’t get dessert?
- Kids younger than 6-7 tend to focus on the outcome (ex. amount of plates broken) rather than intent (ex. Good vs. Bad intentions)
5
Q
Kohlberg’s stages of moral development
A
- Morality of constraint
- Transitional period
- Autonomous morality
6
Q
morality of constraint stage
A
- Under 7 years
- Moral rules are inflexible and dictated by authority
7
Q
transitional period
A
- 7-10 years
- Rules are constructed and can be changed if everyone agrees
8
Q
autonomous morality stage
A
- 11+ years
- Consider fairness and equality when evaluating moral rules
9
Q
Kohlberg’s contributions
A
- Studied explicit moral reasoning regarding moral dilemmas (ex. Heinz dilemma) -> wanted to know WHY people made the moral judgments they did
- Proposed levels of moral reasoning
10
Q
Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning
A
- Pre-conventional
- Conventional
- Post-conventional
11
Q
pre-conventional stage
A
- Childhood
- Concerned with self-interest and external consequences (ex. What’s good or bad for Heinz… not taking anyone else into account)
- Obey rules to avoid punishment and get rewards
12
Q
conventional stage
A
- Adolescence
- Concerned with following rules and norms to maintain social order (ex. Heinz should act based on what society would think of him)
13
Q
post-conventional stage
A
- Adulthood
- Concerned with basic human rights and self-defined ethical principles (ex. Heinz should act based on what he feels is ethically right)
14
Q
morality in infancy
A
- If morality requires explicit reasoning, then it could be presumed that infants must be amoral
- However, infants do care about other’s welfare:
- Newborns cry when listening to tapes of others’ cries (not their own)
- Infants show distress when they see that others are upset
- Toddlers (~2 years) comfort others
- Evidence for moral reasoning in infancy comes from studies that examine implicit evaluations
15
Q
how do infants evaluate helpful vs. unhelpful behaviours?
A
- Study: 6- and 10-month-olds watch shows with a puppet that helps the main character achieve is goal and a puppet that blocks the main character’s goals
- Preferential reaching technique: measure which puppet infants reach for
- Vast majority of babies reach for the “helper” rather than the “hinderer”
