The current study examined relations between distinct aspects of moral functioning, and their cognitive and emotional correlates, in preschool age children. Participants were 171 typically developing 3- to 6-year-olds. Each child completed several tasks, including (a) moral tasks assessing both performance of various moral actions and evaluations…

This study investigated differences in children's and adolescents' experiences of harming their siblings and friends. Participants ("N" = 101; 7-, 11-, and 16-year-olds) provided accounts of events when they hurt a younger sibling and a friend. Harm against friends was described as unusual, unforeseeable, and circumstantial. By contrast,…

Using social-cognitive domain theory and social identity theory, tolerance judgments of practices by Muslim actors among Dutch adolescents (12-17) were investigated. The findings for Study 1 (N = 180) demonstrated that participants evaluated 4 practices using different types of reasons: personal, social-conventional, and moral. In Study 2 (N =…

Ninety-six Colombian children (mean age = 7.7 years) and adolescents (mean age = 14.6 years) made judgments about stealing and physical harm in the abstract and in the context of survival and revenge. All participants judged it wrong to steal or hurt others because of considerations with justice and welfare, and most also judged it wrong to engage…

Previous findings that children's moral judgments are affected by the order in which a protagonist's intentions and consequences occur in a single story were studied in a paired-story format with 96 children from 5 to 8 years of age. (Author/JMB)

A total of 72 elementary school students responded to six moral judgment story pairs which corresponded to all the possible combinations of intentionality (intentional/unintentional) and type of damage (personal injury/property damage). (Author/JMB)

Toddlers were shown flawed and whole objects. Later, in a "mishap" condition, toddlers were led to believe they had damaged the examiners' valued possessions. Toddlers expressed a preference for whole objects but showed more interest in flawed objects. Manifestations of sensitivity to flawed objects were associated with behavioral and…

Piaget's notion that children's theoretical moral thought would evidence greater usage of intentionality toward self-oriented as opposed to other-oriented hypothetical situations was tested in 60 kindergartners and 60 first graders. (Author/JMB)

Piagetian moral judgment problems were simplified and tested on first grade children to ascertain whether the simplification would affect the subjects' perceptions of intentionality and punishment. (JMB)

Examines several issues arising from two differing approaches to morality--Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning development and Gilligan's theory of moral orientations. (PCB)

Differences between Piaget's original studies of children's moral judgment and subsequent investigators' interpretations of those studies are discussed. (Author/JMB)

Subjects who previously participated in a study of stage transition in moral judgment were reinterviewed after a period of 1 1/2 to 2 years. The hypothesis that the conflicts and contradictions evident on the first testing would be resolved through structural reorganization was confirmed. (Author/JMB)

Kohlberg's claim that moral development proceeds through an invariant sequence of stages was experimentally examined by attempting to induce regression and stage skipping in fifth- through seventh-grade children. Results supported Kohlberg's claim but also indicated that situations two stages above development were effective in inducing…

Young children's use of motives and outcomes as criteria for moral judgments was measured under three modes of story presentation and several different combinations of positive and negative motives and outcomes. Recall for the critical story information was also assessed. (Author/RH)

Examines the relationship between 35 preschoolers' moral reasoning about altruistic moral conflicts and their sharing, helping, and comforting in a naturalistic environment. (JMB)