Moral Development

Moral Development

1. A01 - Moral maturity achieved through maturation,disequlibrium + perspective taking.

   • Elements of Piaget - BUT K - MD extended into adolescence and adulthood.
     • 3 levels and 6 sub stages -
     • universal and invarient
     • more equilibrated form - more logically consistent and more morally mature
   • On way children think about moral decisions rather than behaviour

2. Pre Conventional morality

   • Accept rules of authority
     • Judge actions by consequence rather than moral understanding
       • Stage 1 - punishment and obedience orientation
         • action = wrong = involves punishment
       • Stage 2 - Instrumental purpose orientation
         • actions = right = satisfy their own needds

3. Conventional Morality

   • Views of others = important and gain approval of others
     • Stage 3 - 'good boy/nice girl'
       • emphasis on good intentions and conforming to peoples view of 'good behaviour'
     • Stage 4 - law and order orientation
       • do one's duty as a citizen of law and authority.

4. Post Conventional Morality

   • Realise that rules or laws from authority can be broken.
     • Ideas of just can override this
       • Stage 5 - social contract orientation
         • what is morally right = different to legally right
       • Stage 6 - Universal Ethics Principles orientation
         • individual's own principles = developed

5. Evidence to support

   • Kohlberg
     • interviewed 72 boys
     • ages 10,13 and 17
     • asked about moral dilemmas - focus on moral reasoning and how they think about moral decisons
     • Replications of reseearch
       • supports - increases reliabilty
         • Colby et al
           • Longitudinal - over 20 years
             • Tested every 3 years
               • responses = echoed progression through different stages of MD
                 • Supporting Kohlberg's sequence
                   • Walker et al
                     • 6 years olds = stage 1 or 2
                       • As theory predicted
                     • 15 years = stage 3
                     • Only 3% of adults = reached between stage 4 and 5
                       • Stage 6 = unrealistic ideal - rarely reached
                         • Methodological Issues
                           • I: Verbal interviews = subjectvie
                             • Influenced by researcher effects
                               • Requires Ps = high verbal ability
                                 • to express ideas clearly
                                   • younger child - higher moral development
                                     • Than suggested - due to limted verbal ability
                                       • Internal Validity = low
                                         • VI -might not effectively evaluate level of moral understanding
                                           • Validity - of theory - questionable
                           • I: asked hypothetical moral issues
                             • Not real life MB
                               • Answers - influenced by social desirability - not personal morals
                                 • lack ecological validity
                                   • In response: Kohlberg
                                     • option to cheat in test
                                       • 15% pre conventional - cheated
                                       • 70% of post conventional - cheated
                                         • supports - real life
                                           • Burton - in respone to Kohlberg
                                             • depends on situation
                                               • EX: severity of punshiment
                                                 • = complex relationship

6. Further critcism

   • All Ps = boys
     • Dilemmas = based on morality of justice
       • gender biased
         • men - more morally developed than women
           • beta bias
             • applied findings from research without considering
               • Gender differences
                 • Gilligan (1977)
                   • men and women - different voices
                     • women - focus on 'morality of care
                     • men - focus on 'justice'
                   • expansion more than alternative
                   • Research into women - needs to be done so its applicable

7. Ethnocentric

   • drew conclusions - westernised, individualistic
     • Ex: Level 3 - views of individual - v important
       • Collectivist cultures - good of wider community - emphasised more
         • culture specific
           • Using K theory - collect = less morally developed
             • in fact morals = just different

8. OVERALL

   • key role in understanding moral development
     • theory remains influential today