The development of moral understanding and moral motivation |
| |
| Institution: | 11. Max Planck Institute of Psychological Research, Leopoldstreet 24, D-80802 Munich, Germany;1. Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06511, USA;2. School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road, GR41, Richardson, TX 75083, USA;3. Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania, 202 S. 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom;2. School of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, United Kingdom;3. Tizard Centre, University of Kent, United Kingdom;4. Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust – Norfolk, United Kingdom;1. Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, 31015 Toulouse, France;2. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States;3. Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States;4. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States;5. Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States |
| |
| Abstract: | The purpose of the study was to gain a greater understanding of moral understanding by differentiating moral understanding from moral motivation. Moral understanding was assessed by presenting hypothetical moral conflicts and dilemmas and using a variety of measures to explore children’s understanding of moral principles and moral reasoning. Two measures of strength of moral motivation were used. For younger children (ages 4–9) emotion attributions to hypothetical wrongdoers was the measure. For older children (ages 10–11) a global evaluation was made based on their reactions to hypothetical moral conflicts and dilemmas. The results suggest that children’s moral understanding includes a grasp of abstract principles and is not just rote learning of concrete rules. However, their adequate cognitive moral understanding by no means implies they are competent moral actors. Implications for Kohlberg’s theory of moral development are discussed. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
