Module 4: Moral Development

Piaget's theory

Moral realism

kids believe that right vs wrong are determined by consequences of behavior as given by adult authority figures

Morality of cooperation

autonomy; they understand that in certain situations or under particular circumstances rules can be bent

they begin to see the complexity of right vs wrong; such as when lying may be necessary to spare someone's feelings or killing someone for self defense

Kohlberg's theory

Preconventional level

defined by an egocentric, self-interested view of right or wrong and disregards conventions or standards of society

punishment/obedience

naive hedonistic

egocentrism: focus on one's self w/ little consideration for other people or their perspectives

Conventional level

individual focuses on external authorities such as conventions & standards of society when determine right vs wrong

interpersonal authority

social authority

Postconventional

moves beyond simple consequences & away from external authorities to an internal authority

personal convictions about what is right vs wrong

morality of social contract

morality of individual principles

Gilligan's critiscim

Justice orientation

focuses on the rights of individuals

caring orientation

r

lack of attention to women and exclusion of female perspective

Physical or overt aggression also could be relational aggression

Reasons that could be the cause

biological predispositions such as hormones or genetics

family influence such as family violence & abuse from parents or siblings

peer influence such as friends that are aggressive

cultural differences

other variables: exposure to violent TV or video games

Sociomoral developmental delay

self-centered, ego orientation that is not replaced by developmental later on

externalizing blame

see themselves as the victims rather than those they have victimized

mislabeling or minimizing

individuals will escape responsibilities for their actions by viewing their behavior as less serious than social conventions might judge

these cognitive distortions are used by people to decrease their feelings of empathy-based guilt

Social cognitive domains

moral domain includes situations & circumstances related to the rights of others as well as the welfare of others

most serious infraction

conventional domain focuses on the rules of conduct necessary for social organization

personal domain focuses on situations that affect the individual

the least serious infractions

Kenneth Dodge

suggest that people process social information in 6 steps

1. encoding cues

people pay attention to some info in their social environment & dismiss other information

2. Interpretation of cues

people determine meaning for those cues & causes of the behavior of others in the social environment

3. clarification of goals

people determine goals or outcomes for the situation

4. response decision

people attempt to remember past responses to similar situations

5. response decision

people evaluate the past responses & select the most appropriate response based on the expected outcome

6. behavioral enactment

individuals behave according to their decision to respond

significant difference between aggressive & nonaggressive people is interpretation of cues

Hostile attributional bias

tendency to interpret another person's intentions as hostile

Induction

parents explain discipline by verbally providing consequences of choices, as well as asking children to think about others' emotions (empathy)

Nurturance

parents express warmth & affection toward their child as an indication of their concern for the kid's emotional state (perspective taking)

Demandingness

parents set high standards of behavior for their children & support them in their attempts to meet these standards

Modeling

parents "practice what they preach" such that they become examples of moral conduct

Democratic processes

parents include children in decisions, particularly those that require them to hear and appreciate anothers' perspective

1. climate of trust

classroom & school system should have climate of trust & an ethical of caring

kids should feel safe to express emotions, knowing that they are supported & cared for by teachers & staff

teachers can share minor person info w/ students about family, pets, & hobbies as well as spend time learning about students hobbies, interests & family life

teachers can interact w/ students outside of instructional time such as having lunch w/ kids, engaging them in ordinary conversations about events, joking with students, allowing them to "goofy

teachers SHOULD be consistent & predictable in their responses & routine behaviors to impart a sense of trustworthiness

2. Developmental discipline:

Just as parents can use induction & a Democratic process to establish standards & consequences as well as encourage empathy, teachers should employment those same strategies within the classroom

teachers SHOULD help students understand the reasons behind rules

rules should include prosocial behaviors such as sharing, taking turns, & respecting others

teachers should hold regular class meetings & include collaboratively problem-solving to stop misbehavior in the classroom

BC adolescents will begin to view more power & control teachers should give adolescents more opportunities to contribute to the development of rules & to make choices w/in the classroom (democratic governance)

3. Service learning

method of instruction that combines learning w/ service to the community

can increase prosocial behavior and decrease aggressive behavior among students

4. Curriculum

moral curriculum should not be separated from academic content but rather the 2 should be connected & intertwined w/in the classroom & school

history lessons & classic lit include moral dilemmas, as do current events in social studies classes

characters w/in an academic until can be discussed from a moral standpoint

visual displays can be provided in classroom to increase awareness of moral issues & to encourage charitable behavior, a positive attitude, and an awareness of environmental concerns

5. challenging the status quo

students should not only be allowed but encouraged to challenge standards & social conventions to further their persepctive taking skills and advance their level of moral reasoning

6. school based interventions

extensive teacher training can facilitate moral development

Foundations of individual compassion & self-sacrifice

tendency of humans to cooperate & share w/ 1 another; voluntary actions that are intended to benefit others through helping and sharing

Eisenberg's theory

individuals focus on the consequence to the self or self interest as a motive for prosocial behavior

individuals focus on the needs of others, even when hose needs conflict w/ one's self interest

individuals engage in prosocial behavior based on the stereotypical beliefs about a person, helping a person considered to be "a good person" & not helping a "bad person"

to determine whether their actions will result in positive feelings or feelings of guilt, individuals use empathy & perspective taking, ability to understand another person's situation or psychological state, such as their thoughts or feelings

individuals behave in prosocial ways due to their personal values rather than external authority or expectations

Preschool-age children (3-6) understand that other individuals have thoughts & feelings but confuse their own emotions w/ those of others or have difficulty understanding the causes of other's feelings

early elem (6-8): understand that others have thoughts n feelings that may be diff than own but do NOT understand how diff perspectives are related

older elem kids (8-10): can understand the relationship between self & others perspective, enabling them to speculate on how another will feel

early adolescents (10-12): able to take the perspective of 3rd party to understand how 2 individuals influence each other in a mutual, simultaneous manner.

middle adolescents (12-15): individuals are capable of understanding social conventions that are relevant to everyone rather than only to 1 individual

will seek comfort for own needs when they are exposed to another's cry or emotional distress

toddlers begin to see diff between self & others. may attempt to comfort others but from own egocentric perspective

kids as young as 2/3 have awareness of others emotions & diff persp. can begin to understand what comforts them may not be what comforts others

sharing in young kids early sign of empathy super important prosocial behavior

parents & teachers SHOULD encourage peer interaction among kids

examples: students work collaboratively on projects & has been found to enhance moral reasoning, empathy, and perspective-taking skills

teachers can ensure kids have adequate peer interaction by using cooperative learning strategies