Moral development can be described as the process of the development of behaviour regulation, which is predominantly shaped by an internalised value system of norms. Such value systems and moral decisions regarding what is right and wrong emerge over the course of evolution. In essence, it is thought that cognitive growth and social experiences lead to the understanding of laws, rules, and interpersonal duties. Over the last few decades the topic of moral development has been heavily explored in a body of academia (Dewey, 1930; Erikson, 1963). The vast majority of the research on moral development is based around the premise that morality is learned and not automatically acquired. Accordingly, the importance of the role of parental and societal
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Cognitive-development theorists such as Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg perceive moral judgement to be the …show more content…
aimed to investigate the development of sympathy, moral emotion attributions, and moral reasoning in children from two different cultures: Chile and Switzerland. The choice to compare a Western country (Switzerland) with a Latin American country (Chile) was decided due to the notion that the moral development of children may differ due to the differences of social and cultural norms. The samples were drawn from a kindergarten and elementary school in Zurich, Switzerland, and Santiago De Chile, Chile. Focusing on the development of sympathy and moral attributions, the study was taken with a sample of 176 middle class children aged 6 and 9 years old. The two age groups were chosen due to a body of empirical evidence that suggests there to be a normative developmental increase in this age (Einsberg, Spinrad, & Sadovsky, 2006). Further research suggests childhood to be the most critical period of moral development. Inhibitory control begins to form at infancy (Bruner, 1974), and by the age of 3 a child will have acquired the proper ability to control their actions (Hughes, 1998). Further advancements around this age include a newly formed capacity to understand what is deemed as “right” and “wrong” (Stipek, Gravinski & Kopp, 1990), and as a consequence early concepts of moral rules are formed. Similarly, previous studies indicate there to be both normative
Cognitive-development theorists such as Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg perceive moral judgement to be the …show more content…
aimed to investigate the development of sympathy, moral emotion attributions, and moral reasoning in children from two different cultures: Chile and Switzerland. The choice to compare a Western country (Switzerland) with a Latin American country (Chile) was decided due to the notion that the moral development of children may differ due to the differences of social and cultural norms. The samples were drawn from a kindergarten and elementary school in Zurich, Switzerland, and Santiago De Chile, Chile. Focusing on the development of sympathy and moral attributions, the study was taken with a sample of 176 middle class children aged 6 and 9 years old. The two age groups were chosen due to a body of empirical evidence that suggests there to be a normative developmental increase in this age (Einsberg, Spinrad, & Sadovsky, 2006). Further research suggests childhood to be the most critical period of moral development. Inhibitory control begins to form at infancy (Bruner, 1974), and by the age of 3 a child will have acquired the proper ability to control their actions (Hughes, 1998). Further advancements around this age include a newly formed capacity to understand what is deemed as “right” and “wrong” (Stipek, Gravinski & Kopp, 1990), and as a consequence early concepts of moral rules are formed. Similarly, previous studies indicate there to be both normative