development issues & debates

Question 1

Morals

Answer 1

Standards of right & wrong behavior that can differ between cultures & can depend on the situation.

Question 2

Moral development

Answer 2

Children’s growing understanding about right & wrong.

Question 3

Heteronomous

Answer 3

Rules put into place by others.

Question 4

Autonomous

Answer 4

Rules can be decided by the individual person.

Question 5

Piaget’s (1932) theory of moral development

from 5-10 y/o

Answer 5

rules are about punishment and right and wrong. = heteronomous. (directed by others.)

Other people provide rules which govern our behavior e.g teachers, parents.

• Focus on action’s consequences.
• Breaking rules = punishment, so they obey rules.

Question 6

Piaget’s (1932) theory of moral development

10 y/o onwards

Answer 6

it’s about bad actions could have good consequences = autonomous. (the individual decides.)

Individuals are responsible for their own behavior and decide what is right or wrong.

• Understands it can be right to change rules to benefit others & if everyone agrees.
• Morals seen as agreed between people. Child knows following rules is more then the consequences of not following them.

Question 7

Kohlberg’s (1958) theory of moral development

Pre-conventional morality (consequences) up to 9y

Answer 7

Stage 1: Make moral judgements based on obedience & punishment.
Good = no punishment Bad = punishment.

Stage 2: Motivated by self-interest & benefit gained from moral action (reward)
‘What’s in it for me?’

Question 8

Kohlberg’s (1958) theory of moral development

Conventional morality (most young people & adults)

Answer 8

Stage 3: Moral judgements made by following societal rules & expectations, in order to be liked & accepted.
Stage 4: Value authority & want to maintain social order.

Question 9

Kohlberg’s (1958) theory of moral development

Post-conventional morality (10% of people reach this level)

Answer 9

Stage 5: Rules are a social contract & only make sense if they serve the right purpose. e.g democracy
Can be differences in morality between individuals according to which laws they’ve agreed to.
Stage 6:
Guided by ethical principles. Rules are only valid if they serve justice.

Question 10

Weaknesses of Piaget’s (1932) theory of moral development & Kohlberg’s (1958) theory of moral development

Answer 10

Not useful: Artificial stories used - answers given may not represent the real decisions participants would make - low ecological validity

Not useful: Kohlberg used an all male sample so his findings are not generalisable to women’s morality.

Question 11

define nativist theories

Answer 11

Theories that view morality as part of human nature.

Question 12

Damon 1999

Answer 12

Damon (1999)
* Nature argument – moral development explained by biology.
* Nativist theories (thinking morality is in our nature) hold that emotions are within us (babies feeling more/less empathy form birth.)
* Gives evidence that empathy/emotions found in babies universally – nature argument emphasized about moral development.
* Concluded moral identity (someone’s commitment to morals) comes from many social influences child experience; must hear consistent message about shared standards in order to develop moral understanding.

Question 13

Diana Baumrind

Answer 13

Type of parenting affects moral development in children.

Question 14

damon’s ideas of developing empathy & how it links to a child’s level of understanding at different age

Answer 14

early infancy
* feelings towards others not diff from feelings towards themself
* global empathy

1-2 y/o
* realize ppl are distress, dont know what to do abt it

early childhood
* decentration
* can be more responsive to someone’s distress

10-12 y/o
* realize ppl may live in poverty & have difficulties such as disabilities.