What is the goal of moral development in children?
To learn moral codes and move from egocentric feelings to understanding rules, empathy, and fairness.
What characterizes early morality in infants?
Egocentric feelings that gradually expand to recognizing others’ needs, feelings, and rights.
Define prosocial behaviour.
Voluntary actions intended to help others, such as sharing, helping, and comforting.
Define altruism.
Helping others without expecting anything in return.
Define antisocial behaviour.
Actions that harm others, including aggression, theft, and rule-breaking.
What did Hamlin, Wynn & Bloom (2007) find?
Infants preferred helpers over hinderers, suggesting early moral preference for prosocial behaviour.
What did Hamlin & Wynn (2011) show about infant morality?
Infants distinguish between good intentions and accidental outcomes.
What are the two types of prosociality described by Grueneisen & Warneken (2022)?
Sympathy-based prosociality and strategic prosociality.
How does prosocial behaviour change as children age?
It becomes more strategic, considering reputation or reciprocity.
When do children show in‑group bias?
Young children show in-group favoritism before out-group prejudice.
What did Leimgruber et al. (2012) discover about sharing?
Five-year-olds share more when being observed, indicating concern for reputation.
When do children protest ownership violations?
Two-year-olds protest when possessions are taken; three-year-olds intervene to stop theft.
What did Friedman et al. (2011) find about ownership?
Children recognize ownership of manufactured objects but not natural ones.
What did Kanngießer et al. (2010) conclude about ownership?
Children attribute ownership based on labour—whoever made an object owns it.
What did Hamann et al. (2011) show about collaboration?
Three-year-olds share more fairly after collaborative work.
What did Gächter & Herrmann (2009) find cross-culturally?
Both cultures decreased sharing after selfish adult models; only Indian children increased sharing when modelled.
What is demand sharing?
A cultural norm where sharing is morally expected, seen in the Hazda tribe.
What does Bandura’s Social Learning Theory claim?
Children learn behaviours by observing and imitating others.
When do children avoid imitating aggression?
When the model is punished (vicarious punishment).
Who are children most likely to imitate?
Competent or admired adults, especially fathers.
What are Piaget’s three moral shifts?
Realism→Relativism, Prescriptions→Principles, Consequences→Intentions.
What are Kohlberg’s moral stages?
Preconventional, conventional, postconventional reasoning.
What does the Trolley Problem illustrate?
Moral judgments differ despite identical outcomes, showing emotional influence.
What is empathy?
The ability to feel and understand another’s emotional state.
