1 Psychology 1230: Psychology of Adolescence Don Hartmann Fall 2005 © Lecture 15: Moral Development I (Moral Reasoning)

2 Administration V: Portions of Sample Lecture Critique (Fictitious) Name: Argyle King Lecture Topic: Gays & Lesbians I found the PowerPoint slides well done—as usual. But I thought the slides of homosexual sex were over the top. I think that you should not take an advocacy position, but instead just give us the facts. If you insist on proselyting for gays, how about equal time for the homophobes and those of us who find the gay lifestyle immoral. Us straights should be protected—we are an endangered species. I like the candy tossing, but my dad said our medical insurance does not cover injuries from tossed candy—particularly aged candy. Don’t toss in my direction. What about the well-known fact that most gay men are pedophiles, and that most mass murderers are bisexual? What is the name of the girl that sits in the back by the door? She’s hot. Do you have her phone number? Favorite Lecture: Methodology II: It sang to me! How to improve course: Less on drugs, sex, & violence; more on theory & methodology.

3 Supplementary Reading mooreportal/kitty.html mooreportal/kitty.html Turiel, E (1998). The development of morality. In W. Damon (Editor-in-chief) & N. Eisenberg (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology. Vol. 3: Social, emotional, and personality development (5 th ed., pp ). New York: Wiley.

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5 Moral Development Goals: To familiarize you with the 3 traditional approaches of morality; and to introduce you to an early and influential theory of moral development: Piaget’s theory Text Overlap: Pp Lecture:  Introduction: The 3 Faces of Morality  Cognitive ‑ Developmental Theory (Moral Reasoning): Piaget Next: Lect. #15b: Morality II (Kohlberg)

6 Poor Kitty—it started with her death March 14, The brutal murder of Kitty Genovese and the disturbing lack of action by her neighbors became emblematic in what many perceived as an evolving culture of violence and apathy in the United States. In fact, social scientists still debate the causes of what is now known as "the Genovese Syndrome."

7 Sometimes Our Superegos Can be Too Demanding

8 Introduction The 3 faces  Affective: psychoanalytic—how guilt & shame develop & operate  Cognitive: cognitive developmental—how do we think about or reason about moral content?  Behavioral: Cognitive social theory– self control & moral behavior

9 Cognitive Develop- mental Theory Study morality by looking at the development of moral reasoning: the thinking that children display when deciding whether various acts are right or wrong. And moral reasoning depends to a large extent on the child’s cognitive development.

10 Piaget It all began with interviews with children about the game of marbles Piaget generated three stages (with the traditional characteristics: qualitative, invariant, coherent, hierarchical):

11 Piaget: The Stages PREMORAL stage (no regular rules; 4 ‑ 5); the purpose of the game is to have fun HETERONOMOUS morality (rules as moral absolutes -- they have always been that way and always will be. Ages 5-10  expiatory punishment -- punishment for its own sake with no relation to the nature of the forbidden act  immanent justice -- violations of social rules will invariantly be punished) MORAL RELATIVISM (rules as arbitrary; intent important; reciprocal punishment). Age 10-

12 How Do Children Progress— according to Piaget? Experience: Involvement in equalitarian relationships  lessen the child’s unilateral respect for adult authority  increases the child’s self-respect and respect for peers  illustrates that rules are arbitrary agreements that can be changed with the consent of the people they govern Cognitive maturation

13 Contributions of Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development His clinical interview method— following the child wherever he/she goes in their explanations. Linking moral reasoning to cognitive development. Recognized the importance of peers

14 Difficulties with Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development Piaget sold children short: Under-estimated what they could do and under-estimated when they would do it Under ‑ estimated the modifiability of moral reasoning Stopped moral development short at about the early teens. Is there nothing after moral relativism? Misunderstood the extent to which children understood intentional information: The heteronymous child does use intentional information!

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16 Summary Moral Development I (Piaget) Lecture The 3 Faces of Morality Cognitive ‑ Developmental Theory (Moral Thinking): Piaget  Stages  Strengths & weaknesses Next: Lecture 15b: Moral Development II Go in Peace

17 Quiz 2 Results # of item = 47; top score = 45; 100% = 44; Range: ; Mdn. = 38 ScorefApprox. Grade >44 1A A- to A B- to B D+ to C E to D <25 2E