Chap 12 Social Cognition and Moral development

Cognition

Understanding matters (eg knowing objects, physical laws)

Social cognition

Thinking about the perceptions, thoughts, emotions, motives and behaviours of urself, other ppl, groups, and whole social systems, also be able to take other ppls perspectives, describe other ppl, understand human psychology

Theory of Mind

Understanding that people have mental states such as desires, beliefs, and intentions, which guide their behaviour + they can have different thinking than yourself

How is theory of mind measured?

False belief task like the Sally-Ann task

• Assesses the understanding that

• 1) ppl can hold incorrect beliefs,

• 2) even when incorrect these beliefs can influence their behaviour

What happens when you don’t pass theory of mind?

Cognitive deficit/social cognitive deficit

80% of autistic kids fail, 85% down syndrome 4 yr olds pass

autistic kids fail probably bc of their lack of ToM, can’t take other perspectives and have “mind blindness”

What is important in developing ToM?

Joint attention

Understanding intentions

Pretend play

Imitation

Emotional understanding

Implicit theory of mind

Autistic kids show deficits in these skills

What do mirror neurons do?

Influence imitation abilities and action understanding

They activate when we perform an action and when we observe somebody performing the same action

Wellman’s perspective on ToM

ToM develops in 2 phases

Desire psychology

• adopting desire → behaviour relation

• When i want, i do smt, when she wants, she does smt

Belief desire psychology

• Both desires and beliefs (even false ones) determine behaviour

• She did it bc she thought…

Nature perspective on ToM

Might be evolutionary advantage → great apes share basic ToM similar to humans

Its a universal norm of development

Neurological blueprints → there are parts of the brain that specializes in thinking abt the social world and self (social brain), mirror neurons

Nurture perspective on ToM

ToM acquisition is affected by language experience, bonding w parents, settling conflicts w siblings and peers

Cultures that dont encourage discussing other’s mental states may not be as good at nurturing ToM.

Milestones in ToM development

Birth - 2 → Joint attention, understanding of intentions, pretend play,

imitation, emotional understanding

2 → Desire psychology

4 → Belief–desire psychology

>=5 → Understanding of second-order beliefs, sarcasm, different views of reality

(second order beliefs r beliefs about beliefs, eg i believe u believe trump is stupid)

Perspective taking

Happens after outgrowing egocentrism

ability to adapt to other peoples perspectives and understand their thoughts + emotions

8-10yrs can understand ppl have diff views

12ys can mentally juggle diff perspectives

Social cognition in adulthood

continues to improve after adolescence

elderly continues to show sophisticated cognitive skills until there are declines in fluid intelligence, executive control processes, information processing speed, and memory

Social cognitive skills hold up better than non social cognitive skills, maybe bc they r skills used everyday. areas of the cortex that support social cognitive + emotional understanding skills age slower

3 basic components of morality

Emotional component

• feelings abt right and wrong that guide moral thoughts

Cognitive component

• how we think abt right n wrong and make decisions abt how to behave

Behavioural component

• how we behave when we are faced with right and wrong decisions

Psychoanalytic theory about morality

Studied from the perspective of moral emotions. We have empathy which lets us vicariously experience others feelings

• important for moral development

• can motivate prosocial behaviour

• keeps us from engaging in antisocial behaviour

• Moral emotions lead to moral behaviour

• early relationships w parents → moral development

• kids must internalize moral standards to act morally even w no authority present

Cognitive developmental theory about morality

Studied from the perspective of moral reasoning

• thinking process is involved in deciding right and wrong

• moral development depends on cognitive development

• moral reasoning is said to progress thru universal stages

Kohlberg’s 3 stages of moral reasoning

3 broad stages, 2 parts in each stage

Preconventional morality

• Rules are external to the self rather than internalized

Conventional morality

• individual has internalized moral values

Postconventional morality

• An individual defines whats right or wrong in terms of broad principles of justice

Level 1 Preconventional morality

S1: Punishment and obedience orientation → The goodness or badness of an act depends on its consequences

S2: Instrumental hedonism → Conforms to rules to gain rewards or satisfy personal needs

L2 Conventional morality

S1: Good boy/girl morality → What is right is now what pleases, helps, or is approved by others. People are often judged by their intentions.
S2: Authority and social order maintaining morality → what is right is what conforms to the rules of legitimate authorities and is good for society as a whole

L3 postconventional morality

S1: Morality of contract, individual rights, and democratically accepted law → There is an understanding of the underlying purpose of

laws, concern that rules should be arrived through a democratic consensus
S2:  morality of individual principles of conscience (there is usually a unique standard that drives decisions) → Individual defines right and wrong on the basis of self-

generated principles

Social learning theory perspective on moral behaviour

Moral behaviour is learned thru observation, reinforcement and punishment, influenced by situational factors

• Moral cognition is linked to moral action thru self regulation

  • where we monitor and evaluate our own actions

• Moral disengagement → avoid condemning ourselves when we do smt immoral even when we know its wrong

Evolutionary theory on moral behaviour

Moral behaviour stems from genetic self interest to act altruistically to our kin to pass down genes

Infant morality

• Displays primitive empathy (distressed by other infant cries)

• 1-2yrs develops empathy more, tries to comfort others in a way they would to themselves

• 2-3yrs can take perspective of friend

• 14 month old infants show helping behaviour and cooperation

• before age 2, show altrustic behaviour → seem happier when they give treats to puppet compared to recieving themselves

• 15 month recognize fair + unfairness

• Infants can distinguish between good and bad guys (moral judgement)

How is infant morality measured?

Usually by observing the length of time they spend looking at a scenario, lengthier times may indicate they feel something is wrong

Hamlin study scenario: Infants consistently prefer the helper over the hinderer

Antisocial behaviour in infants

Antisocial behaviour does not need to be learnt, comes naturally, frequency rises from infancy to peak 4-5yrs then decreases

Infant moral training

Kochanska suggests development of conscience involves mastering 2 things:

• Moral emotions

  • associating negative emotions with breaking rules, learning to empathize

• Self control

  • being able to inhibit ones impulses

• in 18-24months, toddlers show guilt when breaking toys

• parents help development by forming secure parent-infant attachment

• Close, emotionally positive, and

cooperative relationship in which child

and caregiver care about each other also helps

Child morality

Piaget + Kohlberg → children are focused on consequences of acts

• 3 yrs can take intentions + consequences into account

• 4 yrs have basic ToM and can distinguish different kinds of rules

• Kids that pass ToM are more forgiving, can distinguish between getting stuff wrong and lying, more attuned to other ppls feelings and welfare

What are the diff moral rules children can distinguish between?

Moral rules

• Standards that focus on welfare and basic rights of ppl

• only these rules are Absolute, sacred and unchangeable

Social conventional rules

• Standards determined by social consensus that tell us what

  is appropriate in particular social settings

Kids know moral rules r more compelling and unalterable compared to social conventional rules

Fairness in infants and children

Infants have a sense of fairness and expect equality in situations of sharing, 5 yr olds use the equality rule regardless of context, 9-13yr olds have more sophisticated thoughts abt equality more akin to equity

Self control in children

Crucial for developing conscience

• only 30% of 4 yr olds can delay gratification

• ability to delay gratification in kids linked to academic competency, hi scores on SATs

• Env can impact development, as well as culture

How are morals socialized into children?

Proactive parenting strats → designed to prevent misbehaviour, reduces need for discipline

Approaches to discipline → Love withdrawal, power assertion, Induction → explaining reasons behind actions (best strat, invokes empathy, associated w childrens moral maturity)

What kind of children are easiest to socialize

Fearful or inhibited temperament

capable of effortful control

Adolescent morality

• Development of moral identity

  • Can be fostered by parents thru induction

  • Also fostered thru community service

• Can do advanced moral reasoning

• Can translate moral values to moral action

• 10 yr → preconventional

• Teen → Conventional

• Adulthood → postconventional, if it emerges at all

Antisocial behaviour in adolescents

• Juvenile delinquency

• Conduct disorder → fighting, bullying, cruelty

2 subgroups

• Early onset → seriously distrurbed, manifests early in childhood, persistent behaviour of hurting others/animals throughout life

• Later onset → less serious, increased antisocial behaviour beginning adolescence but grows out of it in early adulthood

Social info processing model of aggressive behaviour

Our reactions to frustration,

anger, or provocation depend

on the ways in which we

process and interpret cues in

situations

• aggressive youth develop hostile attribution bias → they think ambiguous or neutral actions of others are hostile

Patterson’s coercive family environment

Highly antisocial children and adolescents:

■ Often grow up in coercive cycle based family environments

■ Family members are locked in power struggles

■ Trying to control the others through negative, coercive tactics

Nature and Nurture on aggression

Some ppl r more genetically predisposed to aggression, epigenetic influences like harsh parenting can play a role in developing aggression too

Adult morality

Moral reasoning does change much when adulthood is reached

• Minority of adults shift to post conventional morality

• Post conventional emerges more in western society

• Ppl in collectivist culture are more in conventional stage 3, focus on individual duty to GROUP

3 different ethics

Autonomy

• concern with individual rights and not harming or violating the

  rights of others

Community

• emphasis on duty, loyalty, and concern for the welfare of family

  members and larger social group

Divinity

• emphasis on divine law or authority, individual is to follow God’s

  laws and strive for spiritual purity

Dual process model of morality

Deliberate thought and intuition/emotion play distinct roles in moral decisions

• sometimes we make quick moral judgments based on emotions, sometimes we use deliberate cognitive reasoning

Criticisms of Kohlberg’s stage theory

• Underestimates children’s moral sophistication

• Fails to recognize cultural differences in thinking about

morality

• Neglects intuition/emotion

• Says too little about the many influences besides moral reasoning on moral behavior

Religion and spirtuality

Positively associated with health, mental health, and well-being

Beneficial in late adulthood, Linked to having a sense of meaning and purpose in life, Provides participation in a caring community