Moral Development

prosocial behavior

any action that benefits other people (motives don’t matter)

altruism

• concern for welfare of others expressed through prosocial behavior

  • motivational definition vs behavioral definition

  • most children aged 12 and under use a behavioral definition

  • most adolescents & adults use a motivational definition, though it’s often hard to make the distinction in practice

motivational definition

• the action doesn’t benefit you, you don’t gain anything from doing good

behavioral definition

• same as prosocial behavior definition

what is NOT altruism

• doing something very publicly, improving self-image, post on social media, etc

biological perspective on moral development

• evolutionary, genetic heritage

• brain areas

psychoanalytic perspective on moral development

• freud: superego and guilt

• today: induction, empathy-based guilt

social learning perspective on moral development

modeling moral behavior

behaviorist perspective on moral development

rewards and punishment

cognitive-developmental perspective on moral development

children as active thinkers about social rules

inductive discipline

• help child notice others’ feelings

• point out effects of misbehavior on others

• note other’s distress

• make clear the child caused the distress

  • empathy-based guilt

parents induce empathy based guilt

• make kid put themselves in the other person’s shoes

what is conscience?

• promotes compliance with adult rules and standards even when no one is monitoring

• constrains antisocial behavior and promotes prosocial behavior by causing child to feel guilty when engages in uncaring behavior or doesn’t live up to internalized values

• you do something wrong, you feel bad—you have a conscience

temperament assessment of toddlers

toddlers were classified as fearful or bold. attachment and maternal warmth and discipline were measured

temperament for age 5

same children returned to lab and strength of conscience was assessed

inhibited toddler temperament

• gentle maternal discipline predicts conscience development

• fearful shy toddler = gentle mother = conscience gained

  • would probably be overwhelmed if the parent was too harsh

bold toddlers temperament

• secure attachment and maternal responsiveness predicts conscience development

• weren’t inhibited from touching the toy from gentle or harsh discipline, touched the toy anyways

• less likely to touch if they had a good relationship with the mother

all toddlers temperament

• authoritarian (discipline w/o reason) discipline predicts poorer conscience development

piaget’s theory of moral judgment

• observed children playing games, and interviewed children to asses their moral reasoning

• constructed a stage theory of moral judgment

• cognitive and social development both play a role in the development of moral judgments

cognitive development

• social interactions does NOT play a role

moral development

• social interaction w/ peers DOES play a role

heteronomous morality (piaget)

• 5-8 years

• view rules as handed down by authorities, permanent, unchangeable, require strict obedience

• judge wrongness by outcomes, not intentions

  • centration

  • abstract thinking

  • perspective taking

morality of cooperation (piaget)

• 9yrs+

• rules as socially agreed-on, flexible principles

• standard of ideal reciprocity

  • golden rule

• judge on outcomes and intentions

  • once out of pre-operational stage

transitional period

• 7-10 years

• a period of increased interaction with peers, through which children

  • learn that rules can be changed by the group

  • learn cooperation & perspective taking

  • learn to value fairness

insights from piaget’s theory of moral judgement

• as kids gets older, they increasingly take motives into account in moral reasoning

cognitive level matters for moral reasoning (piaget)

• IQ, piagetian cognitive stage, perspective-taking skills

parenting matters (piaget)

authoritarian style associated with less advanced moral reasoning & less moral behavior

peer interactions matter (piaget)

though it may be quality of interaction that matters as opposed to mere quantity of interaction

kohlberg’s theory of moral judgement

• interviewed children and adults about moral dilemmas

• focused on the reasoning behind children’s decisions, rather than the choice of what to do in the dilemma

kohlberg and piaget similarity

• kohlberg also constructed a stage theory and emphasized the role of age-related advances in cognitive level and social experiences

most adults don’t reach what level?

postconventional

stage 1

• preconventional

• punishment and obedience orientation

  • the morality of a behavior depends on its consequences. moral action is motivated by avoidance of punishment

stage 2

• preconventional

• instrumental and exchange orientation

• moral behavior is conforming to rules to gain rewards. what is right involved equal exchange (“you scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours”)

stage 3

• conventional

• good girl, nice boy orientation

• moral behavior is what pleases, helps, or is approved of by others

stage 4

• conventional

• law and order orientation

• moral behavior is fulfilling your duties, upholding the low, and contributing to society

stage 5

• postconventional

• social contract orientation

• moral behavior is upholding the rules that are in the interest of the group (the greatest good for the greatest number) and express the will of the majority

• rights to human life, liberty, and dignity must be universally upheld, and laws that compromise these rights are considered unjust

stage 6

• postconventional

• universal ethical principles

• moral behavior is defined on the basis of self-chosen ethical principles—abstract moral principles of universal justice and respect for human rights that transcend any law or social contact that may conflict with them

is kohlberg’s theory applicable to non-western societies

• post conventional moral reasoning not observed in some communal societies

• specific ideas about what moral behavior is and what the universal moral principles are very by culture individuals who occupy a subordinate position (ex: arab women ten to view themselves as having few choices and under greater moral obligation to obey authority)

does development of moral reasoning truly occur in discontinuous stages?

• children and adults often regress to a lower moral reasoning stage even when they have acquired a higher stage of moral reasoning—multiple stages co-exist

• so could be conceptualized more like overlapping waves of orientations to moral reasoning

social domain theory

• alternative to piaget & kohlberg’s stage theories

• continuous growth in moral development

• differs based on environment

mechanisms of social domain theory

• peer interactions

• direct socialization by adults

moral domain (social domain theory)

right & wrong, justice

societal domain (social domain theory)

conventions, norms, manners

personal domain (social domain theory)

individual preferences, no right or wrong

by preschool (social domain theory)

children distinguish between the moral and societal domains

does moral reasoning predict moral conduct?

• as children get older, and moral reasoning develops, prosocial behavior tends to increase

• individuals at higher stages of moral reasoning are more likely than peers at lower stages to behave prosocially and conscientiously (at least for older children, adolescents, & adults)

• these relationships are only moderate