Moral Development

Question 1

Explain history (Freud, Skinner & Piaget)

Answer 1

Freud (1856-1939): As we age, we learn
to repress selfish-individual needs and to
follow the moral rules set by our parents
and culture (id, ego, superego)

Skinner (1904-1990): Morality is simply
the product of society and parents
reinforcing desirable behavior and
punishing undesirable behavior (very
morally relativistic)

Piaget (1896-1980): Observed (his own)
children and found that they initially
focused on authority and then moved to
more autonomous moral reasoning

Question 2

What is Kohlbergs theory of development?

Answer 2

REVIEW SLIDES

Question 3

How does Kolhbergs model hold up?

Answer 3

Cross-cultural generalizability:
Because different cultures value different things, his focus on justice means his theory does not generalize well to some cultures – however, broadly speaking it holds up well

People reason at different levels depending on the situation: contrary to Kohlberg’s claims, the stages do not appear to be discrete or all- encompassing

Reason vs intuition: Haidt thinks reasoning is over empathized

More than one moral value: Haidsts and others moral values

Androcentrism: Kolbergs focus on justice biases (women are likely to get stuck at one stage)
**CAROL GILLIGAN ARGUED THIS

Question 4

What is theory of mind?

Answer 4

Theory of mind: The cognitive capacity to understand that others
have intentions, desires, beliefs, perceptions, and emotions and
that such intentions, desires, and so forth affect people’s actions
and behaviors.

Basic forms present very early but doesn’t fully (i.e., “formal”
ToM) develop until ~4 years of age

Formal ToM: understanding the mind states of others sufficiently
well to recognize a false belief (“second order intentionality”: I
believe that you think that something is the case [even when I
know this isn’t true])

False belief tasks

Question 5

What are the pros and cons of ToM?

Answer 5

PROS:
Crucial for human morality:
• Allows us to assess the needs/desires of others
• It is the cognitive side of empathy
▪ Empathy is often described as emotional ToM
▪ ToM related to empathy but not strictly tied to it (e.g

CONS:
But can also be used for immoral behaviors as well…
• Formal ToM is needed for lying
• Psychopaths score high on ToM (despite being low in

Question 6

What is empathy?

What are the 3 components?

Answer 6

Empathy: Understanding a person from their frame of
reference rather than one’s own, or vicariously
experiencing that person’s feelings, perceptions, and
thoughts

3 components:
I. Emotional
II. Motivational
III. Cognitive (ToM)

Question 7

Do children develop a preference for fairness?

Answer 7

YES

Does develop through childhood

Question 8

What are 3-4 more tied to in terms of fairness?

Answer 8

Self-interests

Question 9

5 years old and older can detect fairness “_________” themselves

Answer 9

Beyond

Question 10

Parenting styles

Answer 10

***REVIEW

Question 11

Theory of mind is related to what part of the brain?

Answer 11

Tempo-parietal junction

(Ventro)Medial prefrontal cortex = mediating emotions

Orbiofrontal cortex = rewards & punishment

Question 12

What is social-cognitive domain theory?

Answer 12

Moral development is best understood through psychological
analyses of moral judgments
• Children differentiate moral from other social domains

Domain/issues: Moral, social-convention, and personal
• Generalizability, moral obligations, judgments of rule
and authority independence

Younger children make rudimentary distinctions, and young
children apply distinctions more for familiar (vs. unfamiliar)
situations

Moral issues may not always be prioritized