Work

New Beginnings: An Interactionist and Constructivist Approach to Early Moral Development

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Orientations toward harming and helping others are central to morality. These orientations undergo major transformations in early life. This paper proposes an interactionist and constructivist approach to early moral development, and discusses how children construct orientations toward harming and helping through everyday social interactions. A major developmental acquisition - typically evident by age three - is the ability to make judgments of right and wrong based on concerns with others' welfare. The paper concludes by outlining issues for future research on the development of morality from infancy to childhood.

Source: Human Development

DOI: 10.1159/000492801

Author: Audun Dahl

Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz

Language: English

Topic: Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: University of California, Santa Cruz, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: The Emergence of Prosocial Behavior in Infants.