The ability of young children to distinguish between morality and convention

Table of Contents

1. Question

2. Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

2.1. The stage model

2.2. Structure, justice and morality

2.3. Investigation and scoring of moral judgments

2.4. Criticism of Kohlberg’s theory

3. The role of emotions in early morality

3.1. Nancy Eisenberg’s investigations of altruistic and prosocial behavior

3.1.1. The definition of altruistic and prosocial behavior

3.1.2. General methodology and results

3.1.3. Conclusions

3.2. Other approaches regarding the relationship of emotions to morality

3.3. Conclusions

4. Elliot Turiel’s concept of social domains

4.1. Definition of the social domains

4.2. Assessment methods and results of the domain research

4.2.1. Criterion judgments

4.2.2. Justification categories

4.2.3. Ratings and rankings

4.3. The acquisition of social knowledge

4.4. Criterion judgments versus familiarity with events

4.5. The relation between seriousness of transgression, criterion judgments, and justification categories

4.6. Emotional consequences of transgressions in social domains

4.7. A first comparison of Turiel’s and Kohlberg’s assessments and results

5. Domain specifities of social judgments and authority concepts

5.1. Domain specifities, mixed domains and moral dilemmas

5.1.1. Mixed domain events

5.1.2. Moral conflicts and dilemmas

5.1.3. Conclusions

5.2. Authority concepts: Differences between legitimacy and obedience

5.3. Conclusions

6. Conclusions

6.1. Emotions

6.1.1. Dilemma type

6.1.2. Emotional consequences to moral transgressions

6.2. Domains of social knowledge

6.2.1. Conflicts

6.2.2. Justifications

6.2.3. What one would do and what one should do

6.2.4. Legitimacy and obedience

A. Stories

A.1. Killen (1990)

Objectives & Core Topics

This thesis examines the moral development of young children by comparing Lawrence Kohlberg’s traditional stage model with alternative research approaches—specifically those of Nancy Eisenberg, Elliot Turiel, and others—which argue for an earlier emergence of moral reasoning and emotional sensitivity. The core research question investigates whether Kohlberg’s authority-dilemma-based approach appropriately captures the capabilities of children under ten, or whether these children, when evaluated through prosocial or domain-specific dilemmas, demonstrate genuine moral understanding and distinct social domain knowledge.

• Comparison of Kohlberg’s cognitive-developmental moral theory with emotion-based models.
• Evaluation of the role of social domains (moral, conventional, personal) in children’s judgments.
• Analysis of authority concepts, specifically the distinction between legitimacy and obedience.
• Assessment of children’s reasoning in conflict-based and mixed-domain hypothetical scenarios.

Excerpt from the book

Summary of Chapters

1. Question: The introduction outlines the central debate regarding the moral development of children under ten, questioning the validity of Kohlberg's claim that they are primarily governed by self-interest and authority.

2. Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development: This chapter details Kohlberg’s cognitive-developmental theory, emphasizing the progression through stages based on perspective-taking and justice principles.

3. The role of emotions in early morality: This section presents Eisenberg’s and others' research, demonstrating that young children show empathetic responses and moral reasoning when confronted with prosocial dilemmas.

4. Elliot Turiel’s concept of social domains: This chapter explains the theory that children categorize social knowledge into distinct moral, conventional, and personal domains, and how they use different criteria to distinguish these.

5. Domain specifities of social judgments and authority concepts: This chapter investigates how children handle mixed-domain situations and conflicts, while also examining the nuance between authority legitimacy and obedience.

6. Conclusions: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, arguing that while young children do show some orientation toward authority rules, their ability to discern moral transgressions is more robust than Kohlberg’s model suggests.

Keywords

Moral Development, Prosocial Behavior, Social Domains, Lawrence Kohlberg, Nancy Eisenberg, Elliot Turiel, Authority, Legitimacy, Obedience, Empathy, Justice, Moral Judgment, Social Interaction, Perspective Taking, Childhood Morality

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this diploma thesis?

The thesis investigates the moral reasoning of young children (under ten years of age), challenging the traditional perspective that they lack genuine moral understanding due to their reliance on rules and authority.

What are the central thematic fields?

The work focuses on moral development theories, the role of emotions in prosocial behavior, the domain approach to social knowledge (moral vs. conventional), and the distinction between authority-based obedience and moral legitimacy.

What is the primary research goal?

The goal is to determine if Kohlberg’s dilemma-based methodology provides an exhaustive view of early morality or if alternative approaches (e.g., prosocial dilemmas, domain-specific assessments) reveal a higher level of moral maturity in young children than previously assumed.

Which scientific methods are primarily analyzed?

The author analyzes cognitive-developmental assessments, structured interviews using hypothetical social dilemmas, longitudinal studies on prosocial reasoning, and naturalistic observations of peer and adult interactions.

What topics are discussed in the main body?

The main body treats Kohlberg’s stage theory, the influence of empathy and sympathy on prosocial acts (Eisenberg), the categorization of social knowledge into domains (Turiel), and children’s ability to differentiate between an authority's social position and the morality of their commands.

Which keywords define this work?

Key terms include moral development, social domains, empathy, authority, legitimacy, prosocial behavior, and early childhood morality.

How do young children differentiate between an authority's command and moral duty?

According to the findings, young children often judge authority commands as lacking legitimacy if the content is immoral, though they may still comply out of fear of punishment, showing a clear distinction between moral judgment and practical obedience.

What is the "happy victimizer" research mentioned in the text?

It refers to studies where young children, when asked to attribute emotions to a transgressor who has reached a desired goal, often attribute positive feelings, suggesting a developmental gap between knowing a rule and feeling its moral weight.

Why are conflict stories considered more effective than simple domain stories?

Conflict stories force children to coordinate multiple domains or competing moral demands, providing a more rigorous test of their reasoning abilities, which researchers argue is closer to real-life moral decision-making than simple "hit vs. don't hit" scenarios.