Child Development Laura E. Berk 8th editionChapter 12Moral Development

This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law:Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network;Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part of any images;Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

MoralityMorality: 1. feelings of empathy with anothers distress; 2. judgment about whether actions are right or wrong Morality is part of human nature that is rooted in our evolutionary history (e.g., newborns cry when they hear another baby cry --- a sign of empathy?)Limiting selfishness (by social exchange) has adaptive l value for human species Biological support: The frontal region of the cerebral cortex (ventromedial area) and the orbitofrontal area are associated with empathy ..a damage to these areas is linked to lack of empathy and a failure to conform to social normsMirror neurons

Morality as rooted in human natureSocial Evaluation by Nonverbal Infants (Hamin et al., 2007)Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Perspectives on Moral DevelopmentCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Biological Evolutionary, genetic heritage Brain areasPsychoanalytic Freud: superego and guilt Today: induction, empathy-based guiltSocial Learning Modeling moral behaviorBehaviorist Rewards and PunishmentCognitive-Developmental Children as active thinkers about social rules

Inductive DisciplineInductive discipline: a discipline that supports conscience development, not punishingAn adult helps child notice others feelings by pointing out effects of misbehavior on othersNote others distressMake clear the child caused the distressEmpathy-based guiltHe felt proud of his tower, and you hurt his feelings by knocking it down.She is crying because you wont give back her toy

Stockbyte Royalty FreeCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Inductive discipline vs. punitive disciplineInductive discipline: teaches HOW to behavior in the future (becomes a script); increase empathy and prosocial behavior; adopt moral standardsDiscipline that relies on threats of punishment, withdrawal of love: bring about a temporary compliance from children; Children become anxious, not being able to think clearly about what to do, dont internalize moral norms; harshly treated children forms a chronic sense of being threatened, prompting to focus on their own distress not empathy to others need

Social Learning theory: learning through reinforcement and modelingGood Modeling of Moral BehaviorWarmth and responsivenessCompetence and powerConsistency between words and behaviorConsistent exposure to caring adults that provides a good modeling leads to internalized prosocial rulesStockbyte Royalty FreeCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Punishment in Early ChildhoodCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Side effects of frequent physical punishment: modeling aggression, avoidance of punishing adults (loss of teaching opportunities), a generational cycle of violenceEffectiveness of punishment increased by Consistency Warm parent-child relationship ExplanationsAlternatives to punishment Time Out Withdrawing Privileges Positive Discipline

Corporal Punishment and Age of ChildCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Ethnic Differences in the Consequences of Physical PunishmentIn African-American culture, physical punishment isMildDelivered in a context of parental warmthAimed at helping children become responsible adults In Af-Am families, the more mothers had disciplined physically in childhood, the less their teens showed acting-out behavior while the opposite is true with white families (Lansford et al., 2004) The meaning and impact of physical discipline vary sharply with cultural contextCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Effects of Inconsistent PunishmentCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Positive DisciplineBuild mutually respectful bondLet child know how to actAhead of timePraise mature behaviorStockbyte Royalty Free Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Piagets Theory of Moral Developmentopen-ended clinical interviews with 5-13 yr oldsTwo Broad Stages of Moral understanding

Evaluation of Piagets TheoryCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Young children center more often on consequences, interpret intentions rigidly.Children can judge intentions earlier than Piaget thought (ill-intended vs. well-intended action).

Young children question basis of authority.Many children show both heteronomous and autonomous reasoning. Problem for stages.Moral development process extends longer than Piaget thought.

Kohlbergs Extension of Piagets theoryLongitudinal study: Clinical interview with 10 16 yr old BOYS for 20 yrsMoral maturity is determined by the way an individual reasons about the dilemma, not by the content of the response.6 stages are universalEach stage is regarded as a whole, and an individual uses this reasoning to across all situationsIndividuals move up the stage as a result of experiencing disequilibrium (awareness of weakness of ones current schema)

Kohlbers Heinz dilemmaIn Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $200 for radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $1,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it." So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife. Should Heinz have done that? Was it wrong or right? Why?"

Kohlbergs Stages ofMoral DevelopmentCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Preconventional LevelStage 1: Punishment and ObedienceStage 2: Instrumental PurposeConventional LevelStage 3: Good boy-good girl (Morality of interpersonal cooperation)Stage 4: Social Order MaintainingPostconventional or Principled LevelStage 5: Social ContractStage 6 Universal Ethical Principle

The capacity to reason grows from reliance on external authority to fidelity to internalized valuesExternal Authority Internalized Values

Kohlbergs Stages of Moral ReasoningI. The preconventional level (stages 1 & 2)Moral judgments are selfish, trying to avoid punishment or following rules when it is advantageous (you will go to jail)II. The conventional level (stages 3 & 4)Moral judgments consider other people. Morality consists of following rules and conventions, such as duties to family, to marriage vows, and to country (should steal. Its a duty to protect your wife)III. The postconventional level (stages 5 & 6)Moral judgments are based on personal standards or universal principles of justice, equality, and respect for human lifenot just the demands of authority figures or society. (respect human life.)

I. Preconventional Level Stage 1: Punishment & ObedienceA focus on direct consequencesNegative actions will result in punishmentsEXAMPLE: Heinz shouldnt steal the drug because hed go to jail if he got caught. Stage 2: Instrumental Purpose - Mutual BenefitGetting what one wants often requires giving something up in returnRight is a fair exchange. Morals guided by what is fairEXAMPLE: Heinz should steal the drug because the durggist is being greedy by charging so much.

II. Conventional Level (Convention and rules)Stage 3: Interpersonal ExpectationsAn attempt to live up to the expectations of important othersFollow rules or do what others would want so that you win their approvalNegative actions will harm those relationshipsEXAMPLE: Heinz should try to steal the drug because thats what a devoted husband would do.Stage 4: Law & Order (Maintaining Social order)To maintain social order, people must resist personal pressures and follow the laws of the larger societyRespect the laws & authorityEXAMPLE: Heinz should not steal the drug because that would be against the law and he has duty to uphold the law

III. PostConventional LevelStage 5: Legal PrinciplesLaws that fail to promote general welfare or that violate ethical principles can be changedEXAMPLE: Heinz should steal the drug because his obligation to save his wifes life must take precedence over his obligation to respect the druggists property rights.Stage 5: Universal Ethical PrinciplesProfound respect for sanctity of human life, nonviolence, equality & human dignityMoral principles take precedence over laws that might conflict with them, Conscientious objectors refuses to be drafted because they are morally opposed to war.EXAMPLE: Heinz should steal the drug even if the person was a stranger and not his wife. He must follow his conscience and not let the druggists desire for money outweigh the value of a human life.

Research on Kohlbergs Moral StagesResearch shows that individuals move through the first 4 stages in the predicted orderAmong college students, the stage 4 is typical; Few people move beyond stage 4; Stage 5 & 6 (Post Conventional) are rareJohn Gibbs argues that postconventional morality should not be the standard in determining moral immaturity it is a highly reflective metacognitive exercise for those who grapple with existential issuesIn resolving real-life moral dilemmas, people use various strategies (talking to others, intuition, religious ideas)Stages overlapPeople feels drained, torn by temptations (i.e., emotionally pulled)

Are there sex difference in moral reasoning?Kohlberg: Oriented to rights and justice (a masculine ideal) Carol Gilligan: Argued that Kohlberg did not take womens morality into his formulation by interviewing only males - Females are more oriented to care and responsiveness (a feminine ideal)Ethic of CareBoth sexes use both orientations, but females may stress care moreBut, most studies did not support Gilligans: females showed reasoning same as their male counterpartsThe difference in orientation is more evident in real life dilemma, not in hypothetical one

Moral Reasoning and SexCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Influences on Moral ReasoningPersonality Open-mindednessChild-Rearing PracticesCaring, supportiveDiscuss moral concernsSchooling more schooling relates to higher reasoningPeer Interactions (e.g., conflict resolution)Culture (in some villages, no need for moving beyond stage 3 because of direct relations between people) Corbis ImagesCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Religious Involvement and MoralityFormal religious involvement declines in adolescenceReligious involvement linked to:More community serviceLower drug & alcohol useLater sexLess delinquencyCorbis ImagesCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Development of Morally relevant Self-ControlEffortful Control: the extent to which children can manage their reactivity, including the ability to inhibit urges to act in ways that violate moral standardsCompliance emerges at 12-18 monthsTested through delay of gratificationImproves through childhood and adolescenceLearn cognitive strategiesDevelop moral self-regulationIndividual differences:Attention & Inhibition: Ability to delay of gratification (Mischels marshmallow experiment, 1972)Hot vs. cool systemsCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Distraction and Delay of GratificationCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

The other side of self-control: Development of Aggression Aggressive action: (1) Intentional behavior, (2) aimed at doing harm or causing pain to another person. Hostile aggression: an act of aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain or injury Instrumental aggression: an intention to hurt another as a means to some goal other than causing pain

Types of Hostile AggressionCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

TypeHow the Harm is CausedDirect or Indirect?PhysicalPhysical injuryEitherVerbal Threats of physical aggression Name-calling TeasingAlways directRelationalDamage to peer relationshipsEither

Development and AggressionCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. *

Early & Middle Childhood Instrumental declines (due to capacity to delay gratification), hostile increases Boys may be more physically aggressiveAdolescence Less aggression, more delinquency Delinquency peaks in middle adolescenceSES and ethnicity strongly relate to arrests in teens, but not to their self-report (why?)Individual differences in aggression are lasting

Trends in Boys Physical Aggression Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Sources of AggressionFamilyCoercive interaction patterns; capacity for emotional regulation is disrupted and lash out when disappointed or frustratedSocial-Cognitive Deficits & DistortionsSee world as hostileBelieve aggression worksOverly high self-esteemTend to blame victims to retain positive self-evaluationCommunity & cultureHigh-stress/poverty-stricken neighborhoodsEasy access to drugs and firearmsWeak school systemCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon. Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Family Patterns and AggressionCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Helping Control AggressionCoachingModelingReinforcing alternative behaviorsSocial-cognitive interventions (reduce misattribution, perspective taking, additional info before acting)Comprehensive approachesEQUIP using positive peer culture, social skills training, anger management, moral reasoningMultisystemic therapyCopyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

Impact of Ethnic and Political Violence on Children Children of warStruggle with moral reasoningBecome pessimistic Experience increased anxiety, depression, aggression, and antisocial behaviorParental affection and reassurance are the best protection against lasting problems Communities and international organizations are second lines of defense Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Allyn & Bacon.

**Figure 12.1 Infants prefer an individual who helps to one who hinders others 100% of 6 month old chose triangle over square. *****Figure 12.3 - Prevalence of corporal punishment by childs age.*Figure 12.4 How does inconsistent punishment affect childrens behavior? **The person who is growing, will look for more adequate ways of solving problems. If he/she has no problems or dilemmas, he/she is not likely to look for solutions and not grow morally. ******Figure 12.5 Relationship of familiarity of the main character in a moral dilemma to care responses.****Figure 12.6 - Influence of engaging in a work task on preschoolers delay of gratification (feeding a baby bird marbles, sorting marbles).****Figure 12.7 Longitudinal trends in boys physical aggression from 6 to 15 years of age. **Figure 12.8 - Coercive interaction pattern that promotes and sustains aggression between family members.*