Moral Development

Question 1

What are the three approaches to moral development?

Answer 1

1. Freud’s psychoanalytic approach
2. Piaget & Kohlberg’s Cognitive developmental approach
3. Bandura’s social cognitive approach

Question 2

Discuss Freud’s Psychoanalytic Approach

Answer 2

Development of a conscience or superego - monitoring your own moral development
process of identification - identifying with the same sex parent and takes on the moral values of that parent > oedipal complex, electra complex
gender differences -boys more moral than girls

Question 3

Discuss Piaget’s approach to moral development

Answer 3

Stage theory - morality based on stages
invariant sequence - disadvantage
intentions and consequences e.g. children under 6 focus on material consequences

Question 4

What are some disadvantages of Freud’s approach to moral development?

Answer 4

too specific - won’t be this before this age or after this age. Does not give room for flexibility.

Question 5

What are disadvantages to Piaget’s approach to moral development re intentions?

Answer 5

young children can still figure out intentions - it is based on how you set up the story
primacy & recency effect - consequences are a lot more salient than intentions

Question 6

What are Kohlberg’s three basic stages of moral reasoning

Answer 6

1. fear of punishment or desire to gain (If you let your wife die you’ll get into trouble)
2. Right and wrong are defined by convention and by what people will say (Your family will think you’re inhuman if you don’t help your wife)
3. Internalisation of personal moral principles (If you didn’t steal the drug, you wouldn’t have lived up to your own standards of conscious)

Question 7

What are the three levels of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning called?

Answer 7

Level 1: Preconventional morality (avoids punishment, gains reward)
Level 2: Conventional morality (rigid law & order, approval & disapproval of others)
Level 3: Postconventional morality (social contract generally agreed for public good - own moral code)

Question 8

For Kohlberg, can people reason at two stages simultaneously?

Answer 8

Yes

Question 9

What is Bandura’s Social Cognitive Approach?

Answer 9

Model of reciprocal determinism whereby behaviour (B) is an interplay b/w person (P) factors (cognitive, emotional) and situational aspects (E).

Question 10

What are the three regulators of moral conduct?

Answer 10

social-sanctions
self-sanctions
perceived self-efficacy

Question 11

What is a main point about personal standards & moralism for Bandura?

Answer 11

personal standards guide moral-conduct and self-evaluative reactions govern it

Question 12

Discuss Bandura’s view on the developmental sequence of moral behaviour in people

Answer 12

regulation of moral conduct shifts from predominantly external regulators (parents, teachers) to internal regulators

Question 13

What does the recent interest in children’s lying and truth telling stem from?

Answer 13

• child witnesses

- theory of mind

Question 14

How young can children tell the difference b/w a lie and a truth?

Answer 14

four years

Question 15

What are the two type lies and what do they mean?

Answer 15

false allegations-

false denials-

Question 16

What are younger children’s & older children’s lying regulated by?

Answer 16

young-the anticipation of punishment

older-the ancipatoon of guilt

Question 17

What is moral disengagement and what are the self-controls they can disengage?

Answer 17

convincing oneself that ethical standards do not exist for oneself
they can affect
-self-sanctions
-perceived self-efficacy

Question 18

How can moral engagement affect adolescent behaviour?

Answer 18

Bandura showed that adolescents who use moral disengagement processes are more likely to engage in interpersonal aggression and delinquent conduct

Question 19

Is there a relationship between moral thought and moral behaviour?

Answer 19

Hartshorn & May say no -textbook says there is a small relationship

Question 20

What are the three interconnections for moral development?

Answer 20

moral judgement (cognitive), moral emotions and moral behaviour

Question 21

What are four contextual influences on moral development?

Answer 21

• peers
• parents
• religion - catholics, jews & protestants scored lower on moral judgement than other religions.
• politics - conservatism associated with lower moral reasoning