Abstract

The study included 144 Indian children in middle childhood and early adolescence of high and low SES. Based on the cultural-developmental approach, the aims were to test hypotheses about use of the three Ethics of Autonomy, Community and Divinity, and to gain qualitative insights into the children’s indigenous moral concepts. Three findings stood out: 1) Older children employed a rich set of indigenous duty concepts, thereby also using the Ethic of Community more than younger children. 2) Younger children already reasoned in terms of the Ethic of Divinity. 3) High-SES children used the Ethic of Autonomy more than low-SES children and conceptualized the individual in independent and psychological terms; whereas low-SES children’s view of autonomy invoked fear of physical punishment. The cultural-developmental theory and methodology revealed sides of children’s moral reasoning that are largely missing in Western studies, and point to new research directions in moral development and socialization.

摘要

该研究包括 144 名处于童年中期和青春期早期 SES 高低的印度儿童。基于文化发展的方法，目的是检验关于使用自治、社区和神性三种伦理的假设，并获得对儿童本土道德观念的定性洞察。三个突出的发现：1）年龄较大的儿童采用了一套丰富的本土责任概念，因此也比年龄较小的儿童更多地使用社区伦理。2) 年幼的孩子已经根据神性伦理进行了推理。3）高SES儿童比低SES儿童更多地使用自主伦理，并以独立和心理的方式对个体进行概念化；而社会经济地位低的儿童对自主权的看法引发了对体罚的恐惧。