Chapter 12: Moral Development

What are effective models of moral behavior?

• warmth and responsive: kind, caring adults are seen as trustworthy and worthy of imitation

• consistency between words and actions: children learn morality from what adults do not just what they say

• models who show compassion and fairness teach these values naturally

• explain WHY certain behaviors are good or harmful

How does self-regulation develop?

Infancy: external regulation; caregiver soothes and comforts child

toddlerhood: children start to imitate caregivers’ calming strategies

preschool years: language and thought help children describe feelings and manage frustration

middle childhood: self-control becomes more internalized- children begin to monitor and correct their behaviors themselves

What are the influences of self-regulation on development

parenting style: warm, responsive parents help children develop internal control; harsh on inconsistence discipline can delay self-regulation 

temperament: some children are naturally more impulsive, and others are more cautious and adaptable

modeling: observing calm, emotionally regulated adults helps children learn how to handle stress

Marshmallow study+ delayed gratification 

children who could delay gratification tended to have better academic success, greater emotional control, and healthier relationships and coping skills later in life 

Dan Siegel: emotional regulation

parent helps regulate emotions → child regulates emotions with help from parents ← → child self regulates

How do responsive caregivers build a child’s self-regulation?

first they co-regulate with the child, then gradually help the child internalize those skills to manage emotions independently

Psychoanalytic perspective- how does the superego motivate us?

id: instinctual impulsive part that seeks pleasure (I want it now)

ego: rational part that mediates between id and reality (maybe later if its appropriate) 

superego: moral part representing internalized values and ideas (you shouldn’t do that its wrong)

• motivates us by producing feelings of guilt, shame, or pride

Biological perspective- what do the Yale child study lab studies tell us about the origins or moral development 

prefer the “good” puppet to the “bad” puppet except when we can relate to a puppet even if they are good or bad, we are inclined to hurt others who are not like us (why it is important to introduce child to all cultures and people)

Stages of empathy development: Damon 

global empathy: birth- 1 year 

• mirror neurons- feel what others are feeling

egocentric empathy: 1-2 y

• genuine feeling of concern but cannot translate it into action

early childhood: 2-10 y

• aware of others perspectives which allows more appropriate response 

10-12 y

• feels compassion for people’s broader circumstances

What are mirror neurons? When are they active?

neurons that pick up on other peoples emotions in the room (allows empathy)

active when watching others and when seeing others expressing emotions

Using empathy in discipline: inductive discipline. Why are the alternative methods not effective?

Inductive discipline: parenting and teaching approach that uses empathy and reasoning to help children understand the effects of their behaviors on others 

• using force or threats less effective because leads to fear, resentment, or defiance

  • children learn to behave only when someone is watching or when they fear punishment 

What are the influences on prosocial behavior?

Prosocial behavior: voluntary actions intended to help or benefit others (sharing, comforting, etc)

• children ho can understand and manage emotions are more likely to act kind 

• helps seeing things from others point of view (combatting egocentrism)

• humans have evolutionary tendencies towards empathy and cooperation (mirror neurons)

Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development