I. What is Morality? Common Themes

Moral values are social values.
 

Values are self-accepted and self-enforced.
 

Morality is part of a social network with mutual responsibilities.
 

Values develop during childhood and are linked to other aspects of development.
 

II. Early Approach: Learning Theory

Children learn right and wrong through:

modeling
 
 
 

punishment

III. Cognitive-Developmental Perspective

Emphasizes moral development as a process of social ____________

Studied children’s____________about right and wrong
 

A.  Piaget's Theory of Moral Development

1. Morality of Constraint: under 7 years

Rules are:
 

Judgments based on:
 

Belief in immanent justice
 
 

2. Transitional Period: 7 to 10 years

3. Autonomous Morality: 11+ years
 
 
 
 

Preconventional Morality
 

Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Orientation
 

Stage 2: Instrumental Purpose Orientation

Conventional Morality

Stage 3:  Good boy-good girl Orientation
 

Stage 4: Social-order-maintaining Orientation
 

Postconventional Morality

Stage 5: Social-contract Orientation
 

Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Orientation
 
 

1. Cognitive development

2. Exposure to higher levels of moral reasoning

Peer interactions

Child rearing practices

3. Schooling

1. Longitudinal studies
 
 

2. Some links between moral thought and behavior
 
 

3. Research by Turiel: Discussion of moral issues promotes development
 
 
 

1. Relationship between moral reasoning and moral behavior not always evident
 

2. Artificial situations used in research
 

3. Highest stages rarely attained
 

4. Sex differences in how morality is defined

Kohlberg only tested males

Gilligan: women are more interpersonally oriented
 

Walker: meta-analysis of studies of moral reasoning using Kohlberg’s system
 
 
 

Asked males and females to reason about personal and hypothetical situations
 
 
 
 

Differences may reflect 2 ways of thinking that both sexes use
 
 

III. Moral Understanding: Other Approaches

A. Early (preschool) moral thinking
 
 
 
 
 

B. Development of Moral Behavior: Prosocial Behavior
 

1. Eisenberg

Critique of Kohlberg:

Characteristics of prosocial behavior:
 

 

2. Prosocial Behavior: General Findings

Capacity for prosocial responding evident by:
 

Increase with age in capacity for prosocial responding due to:
 
 

3. Developmental Sequence

Preschool Years: 3 to 5
 
 
 

Elementary School Years: 6 to 12
 
 
 

High School and above
 
 

4. Prosocial behavior at all ages is affected by

Individual differences

• physiological and emotional responsiveness

• social assertiveness (temperament)

• socialization experience

 

Situational/Context Effects

• Child's interpretation of the situation

Oliner’s (1988) study of people who helped Jews during World War II

Respondents who participated in rescue and hiding were more likely to mention: