Psychology 235 Dr. Blakemore Moral Development Psychology 235 Dr. Blakemore

Social Learning Theory Focuses on moral behavior includes antisocial behavior cheating, lying, stealing, etc. and prosocial behavior sharing, consideration, etc. the question asked is: How can children learn to show less antisocial and more prosocial behavior? One key issue is internalization

Parenting related to moral development rules and consequences avoiding power assertion avoiding physical punishment --associated with external standards use of induction modeling less antisocial and more prosocial behavior Some research shows that involvement in religion, and internalization of religious values is associated with less antisocial behavior

Cognitive Theories Focus on moral thinking or moral judgments Not related to moral behavior in a straightforward way First theory was Piaget’s Kohlberg’s built on Piaget’s

Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development He studied children’s moral thinking Their understanding of rules, and of intention vs. consequences He studied their games, and various moral dilemmas that pit intention against consequences Two stages, beginning around age 6 or 7

A moral dilemma A. A little boy who is called John is in his room. He is called to dinner. He goes into the dining room. But behind the door there was a chair, and on the chair there was a tray with fifteen cups on it. John couldn’t have known that there was all this behind the door. He goes in, the door knocks against the tray, bang go the fifteen cups and they all get broken! B. Once there was a little boy whose name was Henry. One day when his mother was out he tried to get some jam out of the cupboard. He climbed up on to a chair and stretched out his arm. But the jam was too high up and he couldn’t reach it and have any. But while he was trying to get it he knocked over a cup. The cup fell down and broke.

Another dilemma A. There was a little boy called Julian. His father had gone out and Julian thought it would be fun to play with his father’s ink-pot. First he played with the pen, and then he made a little blot on the table cloth. B. A little boy who was called Augustus once noticed that his father’s ink-pot was empty. One day that his father was away he thought of filling the ink-pot so as to help his father, and so that he should find it full when he came home. But while he was opening the ink-bottle he made a big blot on the table cloth.

First Stage: Moral Realism 5/6 until 11/12 Also called heteronomous morality compliance to rules -- rules are sacred behaviors either right or wrong black and white -- no shades of gray immanent justice consequences the basis of right and wrong

Second Stage: Autonomous Morality (Moral Idealism) Begins around 11/12 Rules established by social agreement and can be changed continuum of right and wrong situational factors wrongdoing not always linked to punishment intention more important than consequences

Kohlberg’s Theory Also focuses on moral judgments Asked about various moral dilemmas Concerned with reasoning behind judgments of right and wrong Three levels and six stages

The Heinz dilemma 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 produce. He paid $200 for the 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 broken into the store to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not? Plus other questions

Premoral Level Stage 1 - Punishment orientation; Obedience to authority Stage 2 - Pleasure orientation

Conventional Level Stage 3 - “Good boy/girl” Stage 4 - Authority - Law & Order; respect for law, social rules

Principled Level Stage 5 - Morality of Contract; will of the majority Stage 6 - Morality of Individual Principles of Conscience

Kohlberg’s Claims Moral reasoning develops through the stages Stages cannot be skipped Some people go faster and/or farther through the stages. Movement from stage to stage is a long-term process.

Kohlberg’s Claims People can comprehend all stages up to and including their present stage. One may understand at a moral level immediately above the present level. Moral reasoning more than one stage higher cannot be comprehended.

Kohlberg’s Claims One tends to prefer the next stage when he/she understands it. One will rank as “best” the highest level of moral reasoning understood. Moral reasoning at stages lower than that attained will be understood but rejected

Kohlberg’s Claims Moral development is always progressive Moral development is not automatic A person may be in transition between stages.

Kohlberg’s Claims When one is in a stage at least 50% of his/her responses are typical of that stage, with some higher and some lower. The sequence of stages does not vary with culture, social class, or religion these factors may affect the speed of movement or stages typical of a given age.