Development in Early Children

Early Debates

• Rousseau believes that children have innate morality and that it is society that corrupts

• Golding believes that children are amoral and that they are incapable of having a good or bad moral thought since the prefrontal cortex isn’t developed fully yet, and that society is just a reflection of children’s lack of impulse control.

Contemporary Research

Research says that children might have innate urges to help others and feel empathy agreeing with Rousseau’s argument

Scenarios used by Piaget to elicit children's moral reasoning

He used scenarios involving lying, stealing, punishment, breaking things, and game rules to determine whether kids judge morality based on consequence or intention, and he found that

• Younger kids = Judged Result

• Older kids = Judged Intention

Why do children fail Piaget’s Morality task? (including the 3 Main reasons)

This is because young children tend to fixate on WHAT happened instead of WHY it happened.

1. They look at the size of damage instead of the reason behind the action.

2. They see rules as fixed, strict, and primarily made by adults

3. Struggle to understand Theory of Mind regarding another’s perspective or intention

Bobo Doll Experiment (by Bandura)

Had children watch aggressive acts done to the Bobo doll, and they were then given the Bobo doll, in which they mimicked the same aggressive behavior that they saw done to the Bobo doll

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles (4 Styles)

1. Authoritarian - Strict/ no reasoning/ aggressive

2. Authoritative - Gives reason/ places rules/encourages

3. Neglectful - Uninvolved in the child’s life/ lacks care

4. Indulgent - Parents are highly involved but lack rules and boundaries

Piaget's Moral Reasoning (3 Stages)

1. The pre-moral developmental stage happens up to 4 years of age, and is the stage where there is no awareness of rules, moral principles, or notions of justice

2. Heteronomous Stage happens at 4 - 10 years old, and at this stage, rules are seen as unchangeable and eternal like physical laws, along with a little sense of what punishment is appropriate

3. Autonomous Stage happens at 10-11+ years old, and at this stage, rules are seen as human agreements that can be changed as long as all parties involved agree collectively, judged based on the intentions behind it and the severity of the issue.

Kohlberg’s Moral Reasoning

Kohlberg’s example was “Heinz Dilemma”, Wife near death due to cancer needed a $4,000 medication, but Heinz could only make $2,000, and the doctor refused to give a discount for the medication, which brought it down to the question… (Should he steal the medication?)

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Judgement (3 levels)

1. [Pre-conventional] level (from age 3 to 7) - the earliest level where self-interest and outcomes determine what is moral

2. [Conventional] level (from age 8 to 13) - middle level, where there is a strict following of societal rules or approval of others to determine what is moral

3. [Post-conventional] level (Adulthood) - the highest level, where decisions on morality are based on principles and values of all life experiences, including a great amount of selflessness without fear of punishment or self-desires.

Limitations to Kohlberg’s Theory (3 points)

1. Vague and inconsistent, as he changes the number of stages many times, and practitioners have trouble placing people in one category

2. Cross-Culturally Invalid, as many cultures have progressed through these stages

3. Gender Biases, as the data is primarily from middle-aged boys

Instrumental helping

A common test of Prosocial behavior, for example, when a child is unable to achieve a goal, does the child watch help or ignore the situation

Prosocial Behavior

Demonstrates Altruism where actions are done for the greater good

Antisocial

Performs acts that harm others, for example stealing from another