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Heterogeneity in children's developing moral judgments about different types of harm
Judith G Smetana1, Courtney L Ball1
1Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology.
Developmental Psychology
|April 5, 2019
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Moral Development
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Children's moral judgments develop with age.
- Understanding of different harms (physical, psychological, resource distribution) varies.
- Factors influencing moral reasoning in children are complex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze patterns in moral judgments of 4- to 9-year-old children.
- To examine judgments concerning physical harm, psychological harm, and unfair resource distribution.
- To identify distinct profiles of moral reasoning and their correlates.
Main Methods:
- Latent profile analysis was used to categorize moral judgments.
- 160 U.S. children aged 4-9 years participated.
- Judgments were assessed on acceptability, punishability, intentionality, harm, and emotional impact.
Main Results:
- Physical harm judgments formed a single 'Prototypical' profile.
- Psychological harm and resource distribution showed 'Prototypical' and 'Emergent' profiles.
- An 'Inconsistent' profile emerged for psychological harm; younger children were more prevalent in 'Emergent'/'Inconsistent' profiles.
Conclusions:
- Children's moral judgments are organized into distinct patterns.
- These patterns reflect age-related differences in understanding various harms.
- Moral reasoning profiles show consistency across different types of transgressions.