Background: Nomothetic, group differential, and idiographic approaches are all needed to fully understand youth development. However, most research on youth character development has traditionally relied on either the nomothetic approach to study whole sample changes or the differential approach to study changes in predefined groups (e.g.,…

The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between the moral maturity and human values of university students. The study was a quantitative research and was conducted with the correlational survey model. The study group of the study consisted of 764 students selected by simple random sampling method, one of the random sampling methods…

It is widely acknowledged that China is much wealthier than ever before. However, many have witnessed rising cases of moral disorders and the inefficiency of school-based moral education. As one of the most widely known theoretical frameworks in the social sciences, Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological systems theory of human development can provide an…

The decision to intentionally withhold truthful information, or deception, is a key component of moral development and may be a precursor to more serious anti-social tendencies. Two factors, executive function (EF) and temperamental fear are each thought to influence childhood deception. Few studies, however, have explored deception in relation to…

This paper seeks to unify two major theories of moral judgment: Kohlberg's stage theory and Anderson's moral information integration theory. Subjects were told about thoughts of actors in Kohlberg's classic altruistic Heinz dilemma and in a new egoistical dilemma. These actors's thoughts represented Kohlberg's stages I (Personal Risk) and IV…

Development defined as increasingly complex and adaptive forms of seeing, knowing, and caring sheds light on how to identify aims of educational programs designed to foster development. Educators who aspire to promote development as well as content mastery help students understand the basis for their decisions, explore alternative bases and…

This study examined children's and young adults' use of three mental capacity criteria for treating an entity as one to which moral subjects have moral obligations, that is, as having moral status. In line with philosophical theorizing, these criteria were the capacity to (1) perceive; (2) suffer; and (3) think. In this study, 116 respondents aged…

Replicates and extends to older adolescents previous findings of factorial independence between IQ and daydreaming in both gifted and average children and young adolescents. Also aims to relate to the development of moral reasoning ability research findings of a decline in guilt and fear-of-failure daydreams among children, adolescents, and…

After describing the moral development "stage" theories of Piaget and, particularly, Kohlberg, the authors critique assertions that such stages are universal and sequential. Using findings from anthropology and other disciplines, they demonstrate that morality is culture-specific and that one person can simultaneously demonstrate…

Examined individual differences in the relations among preadolescents' sociomoral understanding and self-understanding and teacher and peer ratings of school behavior. Findings for 239 preadolescents are discussed in terms of curricular implications for inter- and intrapersonal understandings. (SLD)

Outlines a sociocultural perspective on the study of moral development grounded in Vygotskian theory, highlighting semiotic mediation of moral functioning via inner speech as inner moral dialog, the social origins of moral functioning, and sociocultural "situatedness" of moral development. Suggests that this perspective addresses…

Notes that moral decisions include both moral concepts and factual beliefs. Considers possible sources of variation in factual beliefs and presents research into children's and adults' thinking about practices based on factual beliefs different from their own. Discusses how individuals take these differences into account when judging the seemingly…

Compared twenty groups of Australian children (N=132) of different social class, ethnic, national, and regional backgrounds on their moral stances on "lying" and "killing" and their reasons for those stances. There was an impressive consistency in moral attitudes and reasons across children of different social backgrounds. (JAC)

The authors focus on the moral development of the early adolescent (ages 10 to 15). The ways in which early adolescents develop morally, social influences on such development, and the expression of morality behaviorally are discussed. (Editor/KC)

Individual differences in industriousness are discussed. It is proposed that reinforcement for increased physical or cognitive performance, or the tolerance of aversive stimulation, gives a reward value to the sensation of high effort and reduces effort's aversiveness. Applications for self-control, moral development, and education are described.…