Child Psychology and Moral Development

I'm not really sure if morals and manners are declining, as each generation is raised within a different cultural context with differing sets of rules. However, what I am intrigued by is the age that morals start to develop within children. In particular, Grazyna Kochanska's study was intriguing as it outlined two forms of compliance within children that reflect the morals they have absorbed from their caregivers. The children who exhibited committed compliance were able to follow the rules without interference from a parental figure. The other group of children exhibited situational compliance, meaning they needed their parent's assistance in order to follow the rules.

It's interesting because these internalized moral codes can be found in children starting at 13 months. This study shows that children truly do imitate what they see, and that they begin to incorporate their caregiver's behavior into their moral code at a very young age (Feldman, 2005, p.434).

One well-known experiment conducted by Bandura involved children's exposure to aggressive behavior exhibited by an adult model. The experiment demonstrated children's proclivity to imitate the behavior that they observe. For example, if a parent reacts in a violent, or aggressive way (while driving, watching TV, socializing, etc.) it is more likely that the child will also model this behavior and internalize it as their own. We have to remember that as adults, we need to stay in control, and we need to set positive examples for the younger generation. Becoming frustrated and taking it out on the child, or in front of the child, will negatively affect that child's understanding of how to interact with others. (Feldman, 2005, p.450).