Moral Development

Question 1

aggression

Answer 1

behaviour performed with intention of harming another living being, who is motivated to avoid such treatment.

Question 2

hostile aggression

Answer 2

acts of aggression with purpose of harming other.

Question 3

instrumental aggression

Answer 3

aggressive acts with aim of gaining access to objects, space, privilege etc.

Question 4

conflict

Answer 4

circumstances in which 2 or more people have incompatible desires, needs or goals.

Question 5

relational aggression

Answer 5

acts such as snubbing, exclusion, withdrawing acceptance, spreading rumours etc, with the aim of harming someone’s self-esteem, friendships or social status. Particularly adolescent girls.

Question 6

pro-active aggressor

Answer 6

highly agggressive,rely heavily on acts of aggression as a means of problem solving. May be quite happy during displays of aggression, as think will problem solve.

Question 7

reactive aggressor

Answer 7

display high levels of retaliatory aggression. Have high levels of hostile attributionary bias and perceive themselves as being wronged first.

Question 8

retaliatory aggression

Answer 8

acts of aggression in response to actual or perceived provocation

Question 9

Dodge’s Information Processing Theory of Aggression

Answer 9

seeks to explain how children favour aggressive or non aggressive responses.
1. peer drivenevent occurs which may be judged hostile or accidental
2. social cues are encoded
3. social cues are interpreted
4.social goals are formulated
5.problem solving strategies are generated
6.strategies evaluated for effectiveness
7.response is enacted
8.peer responds.
Stages 2-7 all are influenced by child’s mental state, which influenced by past social experiences, social expectancies,knowledge of social rules,emotional regulatory skills and emotionality.

Question 10

hostile attributional bias

Answer 10

tendency to view harm done under ambiguous circumstances as stemming from hostile intent by the harmdoer.

Question 11

passive victim of aggression

Answer 11

typically a bully’s victim. have low self-esteem, often socially withdrawn, do little to warrant the bullying.Often physically weak.

Question 12

provocative victim of aggression

Answer 12

also victims of bullying, but they seem to seek it by irritating or confronting others. often hot headed and restless.Inclined to fight back, albeit unsuccessfully.Also have hostile attributional bias.Often victimised or abused at home.

Question 13

Popularity

Answer 13

A social construct (by children). Other children know who is popular, based on attractiveness, athleticism, desirable possessions or attributes.

Question 14

Emotionally Unavailable Parents

Answer 14

Parenting is withdrawn, cold/indifferent. May occur because parents stressed.

Question 15

Incompatible-response Technique

Answer 15

Parenting/teaching technique aimed at reducing the benefits of proactive aggression.Identify and eliminate the reinforcers of aggression, encourage alternative means of achieving one’s goals, and ignore all but most serious acts of aggression in order to not get attentional reward.Reinforce cooperation and sharing (these acts are incompatible wih aggression).

Question 16

Time-out Technique

Answer 16

Another technique aimed at reducing aggression. Removes child from situation until can act more appropriately.

Question 17

Coercive home environment

Answer 17

an environment at home where it is more usual for family members to annoy each other and this leads to anti-social or aggressive tactics to try to avoid these adversive experiences.

Question 18

Negative reinforcer

Answer 18

An inappropriate behaviour which is reinforced because gets the desired result. eg whining,yelling,screaming,hitting. Often used in coercive homes.

Question 19

Altruism

Answer 19

self-less concern for welfare of others.expressed with sharing, helping and cooperation, and willing to act on the concern.

Question 20

Prosocial behaviour

Answer 20

Any action intended to benefit other people.

Question 21

affective explanation

Answer 21

Disciplining a child by focusing on explaining how their behaviour has harmed or upset others.Seems to result in more sympathetic children.

Question 22

Prosocial moral reasoning

Answer 22

the reasoning balancing helping another and cost to oneself.Initially when very young, tend to be more selfish, but as mature, becomes more altruistic. The tendency to be more prosocial or altruistic, tends to be fairly stable over life (albeit maturing somewhat).

Question 23

Sympathic empathic arousal

Answer 23

feelings of sympathy or compassion aroused when empathizing with another in distress.Promotes altruisim.

Question 24

Self-oriented distress

Answer 24

feeling of personal distress arising from empathizing with another but which inhibits altruisim.Not uncommon in young toddlers.

Question 25

Felt-responsibility Hypothesis

Answer 25

Theory that as one matures, one absorbs social norms such as providing aid when needed, and that this is acted upon with altruism when feeling empathy for someone less fortunate.

Question 26

Morality

Answer 26

set of internalised principles or ideals that an individual uses to distinguish right from wrong, and acts on these principles without requiring overseeing authority or reward.

Question 27

Internalization

Answer 27

Process of adopting the standards of others and making them one’s own

Question 28

Moral affect

Answer 28

Emotional component of morality, eg feelings of pride, shame or guilt in regards to ethical conduct.

Question 29

Moral reasoning

Answer 29

Cognitive component of morality. The thinking a person does to decide if something is right or wrong.

Question 30

Moral Behaviour

Answer 30

The behavioural component of morality. The actions one does consistent with one’s morals, even when in situations where doing other may be tempting.

Question 31

Mutually responsive relationship

Answer 31

eg, between parent and child where both respond to each others needs and goals.

Question 32

committed compliance

Answer 32

child has a responsive parent and is therefore motivated to comply with parent’s requests and rules. Child begins to internalise parent’s rules and this first step towards a conscience and developing morality.

Question 33

situational compliance

Answer 33

child is non-oppositional to parent as parent can control child, as opposed to child wanting to comply.

Question 34

Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development

Answer 34

Focuses on respect for rules, and concepts of justice. Moral development progresses in stages:

a) Premoral Period:Preschool children. Make up own game rules, little concern for other rules, object of a game is to have fun.
b) Heteronomous Mprality: Age 5-10 years.Strong respect for rules as made by higher authorities. Absolute convictions. Judge badness by result, not intent.Favour expiatory punishment and believe in immanent justice.
c) Autonomous Morality: age 10+.Realise social rules are arbitrary agreements which cam be challenged. Rules may be violated if human need is great enough.Favour reciprocal punishments. No longer believe in immanent justice.

Question 35

expiatory and reciprocal punishments

Answer 35

Expiatory punishment=punishment without temperance to fit the crime.
Reciprocal punishment=punishment tailored to suit crime and be an effective deterant and learning tool.

Question 36

immanent justice

Answer 36

idea that rule breaking will invariably be discovered and punished.

Question 37

moral absolute

Answer 37

only right or wrong, and right=following the rules. In Heteronomous stage of morality.

Question 38

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

Answer 38

Focussed on challenges between obeying rules or authority and violating these rules but serving a human need.Also proposed progressing through stages;
a)Preconventional Morality (stage1);Orientation of punishment and obedience.Goodness or badness levels determined by outcome.Obeys only to avoid punishment, not trough any internalised belief.
(stage 2);Naive hedonism stage.Conforms in order to receive award. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
b)Conventional Morality (stage3);good boy/girl orientation.Good behaviour is that which pleases, helps or is approved of, by others.People judged by intentions.
(stage 4);social order-maintaining morality.Conform because believe laws are worth preserving for social order.
c)Post conventional (principled) Morality (stage5); social-contract orientation.Distinctions between what is right legally and morally begins to appear.
(stage 6);Morality of individual principles of conscience.Universal justice. Thought a stage more often theoretical than achieved in actuality.

Question 39

Transactive interactions

Answer 39

Non-hostile discussions where differences in reasoning are challenged verbally and resolved. A method by which moral growth can occur.

Question 40

Carol Gilligan

Answer 40

Proposed that according to Kohlberg, most men operate at Stage 4 at “morality of Justice” with a focus more on socially defined justice as opposed to justice based on compassion. Also proposed most women operate at Kohlberg’s Stage 3 with a focus on “morality of care” which is more concerned with justice based on compassion.

Question 41

Doctrine of Specificity

Answer 41

Many social-learning theorists believe that moral affect, moral reasoning and moral behaviour is determined more by situation than by any internalized set of moral principles.

Question 42

Inhibitory control

Answer 42

ability to display acceptable conduct by resisting the temptation to perform a forbidden act.

Question 43

love withdrawal

Answer 43

Form of discipline whereby parent withholds affection or approval, in order to modify child’s behviour

Question 44

Power assertion

Answer 44

Form of discipline whereby parent uses superior power of child to alter behaviour. Includes forceful commands, physical restraint, spankings and withdrawal of privileges.

Question 45

Induction

Answer 45

Form of disciplne to alter child’s behaviour, which explains why a behaviour is wrong by emphasising how behaviour affectes others, and provides alternative suggestions. Seems to foster best development of morality.