1. Chapter 13 Social Cognition and Moral Development

2. Chapter 13: Social Cognition and Moral Development
Social cognition: ability to understand
psychological differences in others
Adopt other’s perspectives
Theory of Mind: False Belief Task
Where will Sally look for marble when she returns? (See next slide)
Used to predict and explain human behavior before 4 yrs of age
“he wanted to. . .” “he intended to. .”

3. Figure The experimental arrangement in the false belief task involving Sally and Anne. As Sally does not know that Anne transferred Sally’s marble from Sally’s basket to Anne’s box, she falsely believes it is in her basket, and the child who has a theory of mind should say that she will look for it there.
Figure 13.1

4. Forerunners of Theory of Mind
Joint attention
Pretend play
Imitation
Emotional Understanding

5. Nature and Nurture
Nature: Theory of mind proved adaptive
Functioning in a social group
Gain resources and survive
Bargaining, conflict resolution, cooperation
Nurture: Acquiring language and interaction
Having siblings, sensitive parents
Using mental states to explain behavior
“How do you think she felt?”

6. Factors that Influence Theory of Mind
Maternal Factors:
Maternal-mindedness
Mothers talk about own feelings
Mothers encourage perspective taking
Cultural differences

7. Factors that Influence Theory of Mind
Child Factors:
Secure attachment
Ability to inhibit responses
Sensory impairments

8. Maltreatment and ToM
Maltreated children were less likely to exhibit false belief understanding than both nonmaltreated children from lower SES and nonmaltreated from middle class.
Timing: abuse that occurred during toddler period was related to problems in false belief understanding
Type of Abuse: physical abuse because of harsh and unpredictable nature of abuse and uncertainty on part of child regarding expectations of parental behavior

9. Person Perception
Psychological traits observed
Used to explain behavior
By about age 7 or 8
Understanding personality
Through adolescence
Used to evaluate others

10. Role-Taking Skills The ability to adopt another’s perspective
Moving away from egocentrism
Essential in thinking about moral issues
Beginning of empathy – about age 2
3-6 yr olds – egocentric
8-10 yr olds - own and other’s thoughts
12+ - multiple perspectives
Socially isolated older adults decline related to processing speed

11. Perspectives on Moral Development
Three components of morality
1) Cognitive: Distinguish right from wrong
2) Behavioral: Act accordingly (Prosocial)
3) Affective: Feel pride and guilt or shame
Empathy: a vicarious experience
Most are motivated to avoid negative emotions

12. Psychoanalytic Theory
Superego: conscience
Oedipus Complex
Internalization of parental morals
Emotion important in morality
Responsive parenting important
Gender differences unsupported

13. Cognitive-Developmental Theory
Piaget’s views
Premoral Period: not moral beings
Heteronomous Morality: ages 6-10
Believe in rules from parents
Consequences/amount of damage
Autonomous: at ages10-11
Rules are agreements – not absolutes
Intention more important than consequences

14. Kohlberg: Reasoning about Moral Dilemmas
Preconventional: egocentric
Punishment and obedience
Instrumental hedonism
Conventional: consideration of others
Good boy/girl morality
Authority/social order maintaining
Postconventional: consideration of all
Morality of contract
Individual principles of conscience

15. Social Learning Theory
Moral Behavior (Bandura)
Cognitive self-regulation
Anticipation, apply consequences to self
Moral disengagement
No self condemnation for immoral acts
Situational context important

16. Early Moral Training
Children internalize moral standards
By mo. learn through experiences to:
1) Associate negative emotions with violating rules
Positive relationship w/parent important
2) Exert self-control when tempted
Prosocial behavior by age 2 (and earlier)
Punishment must always be accompanied by an explanation

17. Intentions and Rules: Research
Piaget: consequences vs. intentions
Nelson: 3 yr. olds can judge intention
Theory of mind: “I didn’t mean it!”
Piaget: questioning rules
Turiel: moral rules by age 2 1/2
Adult rules often questioned

18. Raising Moral Children
Social Learning Theory
R+ moral behavior
Punish immoral behavior
Model moral behavior
Hoffman: Three Approaches to Discipline
Love withdrawal: negative effects
Power assertion: moral immaturity
Induction: related to moral maturity

19. Temperament and Moral Development
Fearful, inhibited children
Become more fearful when reprimanded
Use gentle discipline
Fearless, uninhibited children
Relationship with parent important
“Goodness of fit”
What works for one child may not for another

20. The Adolescent
Changes in moral reasoning
Shift to conventional reasoning
Identity includes moral and values
Two kinds of antisocial youth
1) Temporary in adolescence
2) Chronic/seriously aggressive
Less empathy for distress of others
Little remorse for criminal behavior

21. Dodge’s Social Information-Processing Model
Individual’s reaction to frustration, anger
Not simply social cues
Deficient information processing
For most, accuracy improves with age
Aggressive kids show a bias toward attributing hostile intent/motive
Also choose aggressive response
Rejection, abuse in upbringing

23. Patterson’s Coercive Family Environments
Ineffective parenting in childhood
Family members in power struggle
Try to control each other coercively
Threatening, hitting, even abuse
Unpleasant aggressive child
Performs poorly in school
Disliked by other children
Chooses aggressive peer group

24. Nature-Nurture
Inherit predisposition for aggression
Behavior evokes coercive parenting
Parenting strengthens aggression
Less opportunity to learn emotional control
Exposure to violence in society
Lower SES: violence to solve problems
Both bullies and victims of bullies more likely to behave violently

25. The Adult
Postconventional reasoning is possible
Stable through about age 75
Important moral lessons learned in life
Spirituality: search for meaning in life
Evident among reflective adults
Religion: Little change even in old age

26. Advanced Moral Reasoning
Necessary cognitive skills
Perspective-taking
Formal operations
Social learning experiences
Interactions with parents
Discussions with peers
Higher education
Democracy

27. Kohlberg in Perspective
Sequence supported
Devalued parental influence not supported
Emphasis on peer contributions supported
Cultural bias
Liberal bias
Gender bias not supported