PSYC 2290 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Observational Learning, Gossip, Distributive Justice
26 Jun 2018
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PSYC 2290 Child Development
Chapter 12 Moral Understanding and Behavior
12.1 Self-Control
Self-control: the ability to control one’s behavior and to inhibit impulsive responding to
temptations
Self-control emerges in infancy and gradually improves during the preschool years
- 1st birthday: become aware people impose demands on them, and they must react
accordingly, as well as early socialization
- 2nd years: Toddlers have internalized some of the controls imposed by others and are
capable of some self-control in their parents’ absence
- 3rd years: children become capable of self- regulation; they can devise ways to control their
own behavior
Predicts academic performance, substance abuse, and self esteem
Still much to learn gradually throughout the elementary-school years
Influences on self-control
Greater self-control is enhanced when parents discuss disciplinary issues with their children
instead of simply asserting their power as parents
Inductive reasoning: inducing the child to reason, to think for him or herself about the situation
Self-control is usually lower when parents are very strict with them
- Reliant on external control and less able to exercise self-control
Temperament influence who parents teach self-control: fearful and anxious children comply
because they are fear of not following the rules
Culture influences: Chinese toddlers were more likely to be willingly compliant and less likely to
protest than Canadian children
Improving children’s self-control
Ways to resist temptation:
a) Reminding yourself of the importance of long-term goals over short-term temptations
b) Reducing the attraction of the tempting event or circumstance
Preschool years starts to use these two strategies
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PSYC 2290 Child Development
12.2 Reasoning about Moral Issues
Piaget
Stage 1: premoral
- Age 2-4
- Having not yet developed moral sensibility
Stage 2: moral realism
- Age 5-7
- Children believe that rules are created by wise adults and therefore must be followed and
cannot be changed
-Heteronomous morality: absolute rules handed down by another
-Immanent justice: the idea that breaking a rule always leads to punishment
Stage 3: moral relativism
- Age 8-10
- The understanding that rules are created by people to help them get along
- So they pay more attention to consequences of action and intention
-Autonomous morality: morality based on free will
- Also understand that because people agree to set rules in the first place, they can also
change them if they see the need
Kohlberg
Pre-conventional level
- Understanding what’s right/ wrong
- Stage1: obedience orientation: avoiding punishment
- Stage2: instrumental orientation: reward, what you get praise
Conventional Level
- Stage3: interpersonal norms
- What is right, moral meet social expectation, see approval
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PSYC 2290 Child Development
- Stage4: social system morality: just based on what society allow law
Post-conventional Level
- Base on personal thinking
- Stage5: social construct orientation
Maintaining social contract, look after the people you have social contract with
E.g. family, friends, people you know
- Stage6: universal ethical principles
Apply more broadly, concern for every body
Larger principles more dominants
E.g. freedom, equally
Most these stages in sequence, different people different rate
Sometimes have individual moral/ different in behavior
Real life conflicts
- E.g. your friend betrayed you suddenly she need help, although you were harm but you
might still help her
Moral self-relevance – the degree to which morality is central to self-concept
Principles of justice and caring – Gilligan’s research not concern anymore
Turiel’s Domains of Social Justice
1. Moral transgression
- Behavior that harmful to others, being abusive, taking away fare
2. Social conventions
- Arbitrary standards of behavior agreed to by a cultural group to facilitate interactions within
the group
3. Personal Domain
- More about decision about your personal life
- E.g. choosing hair style, partner, activities
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Self-control: the ability to control one"s behavior and to inhibit impulsive responding to temptations. Self-control emerges in infancy and gradually improves during the preschool years. 1st birthday: become aware people impose demands on them, and they must react accordingly, as well as early socialization. 2nd years: toddlers have internalized some of the controls imposed by others and are capable of some self-control in their parents" absence. 3rd years: children become capable of self- regulation; they can devise ways to control their own behavior. Predicts academic performance, substance abuse, and self esteem. Still much to learn gradually throughout the elementary-school years. Greater self-control is enhanced when parents discuss disciplinary issues with their children instead of simply asserting their power as parents. Inductive reasoning: inducing the child to reason, to think for him or herself about the situation. Self-control is usually lower when parents are very strict with them. Reliant on external control and less able to exercise self-control.
