Ch 12: Moral Development

Piaget’s 3 aspects of children’s moral reasoning

1) understanding of rules

2) understanding of moral responsibility

3) understanding justice

For many under the age of 9, what is evident when children answered questions regarding Piaget’s stories

immanent justice that emanates from environment = natural world acts to police the world

2 kinds of punishment and define them

Expiatory: arbitrary (e.g. copy a poem 50x) => functions to absolve guilty of the perpetrator

Punishment of Reciprocity: 

1) Natural Consequence: cold weather, no dinner > denial of privilege or exclusion

2) Simple Reciprocity: perpetrator receives same treatment they dished out 

Fu et al studied Canadian versus Chinese cultures. 

Eisenberg’s Theory of Moral Development: Prosocial Dilemmas

Define prosocial behavior

voluntary behavior intended to benefit anohter => helping, sharing, comforting, and cooperating (regardless of motivation)