Morality
The fact that aspirin has been used for pain treatment, to
reduce morality due to heart attacks, and can possibly
reduce the risks of infection is incredible,
-- Ambrose Cheung as in a press release
Academe: An ancient school where morality and
philosophy were taught.
Academy: A modern school where football is taught.
-- Ambrose Bierce (devil’s dictionary)
What is Morality
Morality: conformity to ideals of right
human conduct
Cultural Differences, Religious
Differences, Moral Relativism?
Moral Development
1) Behavioral Approach
2) Psychoanalytic Approach
3) Piagetian Approach
4) Kohlbergian Approach
Behavioral Approach
Morality is learned
based on what we
have been
punished/rewarded
for.
Measures honesty
and knowledge of
moral rules
Measures of Morality
What is the right thing to do or say if
someone steals your lunch:
a) Steal another lunch to even it up
b) Report it to the teacher
c) Cry about it
d) Say nothing about it
Measures of Morality
On the way to school Harold stopped to help an
old woman shovel the snow from her sidewalk
__ Good Scout
__ What of it?
__ Time wasted
__ Why shouldn’t he?
__ Splendid thing
__ Goody-goody
Measures of Morality
While the teacher was out of the room Ruth took
a few pieces of candy from her desk
__ A fine idea
__ Crooked
__ What of it?
__ Clever Stunt
__ The mean thing
__ Served the teacher right
Measures of Morality
Choose from “Do not punish”, “Very lightly”,
“Lightly”, “Rather strictly”, “Hard”, “Very
Severely”.
1) Robbing a house then burning it.
2) Pretending not to hear when someone calls.
3) Refusing to help make toys for sick children.
4) Taking a few apples from a fruit stand.
Psychoanalytic Approach
Internalized Moral Values
Process of Identification
Development of Guilt
Tests involve projection and
projective tests.
Measures of Morality
One day Ted’s mother goes visiting a friend of
hers in another town. Now Ted is all alone
with nothing to do. He thinks of the boxes in
the top of his mother’s closet. She has told
him never to take down the boxes. He knows
his mother won’t be home till suppertime. Ted
climbs up and takes down the boxes. YOU
FINISH THE STORY.
Piagetian Approach
Two stages of morality
Heteronomous
Consequences
Morality by
Sanctions
Immanent Justice
Punishment as
Retribution
Autonomous
Intentions
Morality Independent
of Sanctions
Mature Causal
Understanding
Punishment for
Restitution
Measures of Morality
1) There was a little boy who thought it would be
fun to play with his father’s pen and inkwell.
While playing with the pen, he made a little
blot on the tablecloth
2) There was a little boy who noticed his father’s
inkwell was empty. He thought of filling the
inkwell so as to help his father, but while he
was opening the bottle, he made a big blot on
the tablecloth.
Measures of Morality
Once there were two children who were stealing
apples in an orchard. Suddenly a policeman
comes along and the children run away. One
of them is caught. The other one, going home
by a roundabout way, crosses a river on a
rotten bridge and falls into the water. Now
what do you think: if he had not stolen the
apples, and had crossed the river on the rotten
bridge all the same, would he also have fallen
into the water?
Kohlberg
PREMORAL
Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience
Stage 2: Instrumental Relativist
CONVENIENCE
Stage 3: Interpersonal Concodance
Stage 4: Law and Order orientation
PRINCIPLED
Stage 5: Social Contract
Stage 6: Universal Ethical
Measures of Morality
A woman was near death from a special kind of
cancer. There was one drug that the doctors
thought might save her. The drug was
expensive to make, but the druggist was
charging ten times what the drug cost him to
make. The woman’s husband went to everyone
he knew to borrow money, but could only get
half the cost of the drug. The druggist refused
to sell for less, and the man couldn’t get a loan.
Should the husband steal the drug?
Kohlberg
• Large Cultural Differences
• Large Gender Differences
Alternate Account
1  2  3  4,5,6
Disturbing Thoughts
The schedule
1) Conformity
2) Obedience
3) Social Rolls
4) Altruism
Conformity
Asch Study:
Naïve participant
6 to 8 confederates
Line length recognition judgments
Conformity
Conformity
Asch Study:
Conformity
Asch Study: Original study 76% conform!
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
s
ou
m
ni
a
Un
ly
al
c
pr
om
ise
om
t
ex
r
e
m
e
Conformity
Factors influencing conformity
Cohesiveness (Crandall, 1988)
Binge eating
Group size (Gerard et al, 1968)
Magical number 3
Social Norms (Cialdini et al, 1991)
Litter study
Obedience
Stanley Milgram’s studies:
Obedience
Stanley Milgram’s studies:
Moderate: Victim complains, 100%
Strong: Complains of heart condition, 99%
Very Strong: Pounds on the wall in protest, 91%
Intense: Pounds again, stops giving answers, 75%
Extreme Intensity: 68%
Danger; severe shock: 65%
XXX 450 volts: 65% go all the way
Obedience
Stanley Milgram’s studies:
• Run down office building vs. Yale campus
• Children vs. adults
• Male vs. female
• Victim begs to be released, appeals to morality
• Participant has to force down victim’s hand onto
shock plate (30% go all the way)
• Many different countries and cultures.
Social Roles
Stanford Prison Experiment
Social Roles
Stanford Prison Experiment
Stanford students
randomly assigned
to be prisoners or
guards.
Guards were
abusing prisoners
by day 2.
Altruism
Bystander Nonintervention
Altruism
Bystander Nonintervention
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Early
On Schedule
Late
Altruism
Diffusion of Responsibility
I er I think I need er if if could er er somebody er
er help because I er I’m er h-h-having a a a real
problem er right now and and I er if somebody
could help me out it would er er s-s-sure be
good… (choking sounds)… I’m gonna die er er
I’m gonna die er help er er seizure (more choking,
goes quiet).
Altruism
Diffusion of Responsibility
180
160
140
Time to
help
% help
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
5
1
2
5
Other Issues
1) Emotion (Crimes of Passion)
2) Psychopathology (e.g. Sociopaths)
3) Altered States of Consciousness
4) Teaching Morality
5) Other situational variables (poverty)
Homework
1) The Devil’s Advocate
2) http://www.parentingbookmark.com/pa
ges/articleBMI05.htm
3) http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Lo
bby/3479/clyrics13.html (if you can
find a way to listen to the song, do that)
4) Neuremberg Trials (link by email)
Homework II
1) Das Experiment
2) Prisonexp.org
3) http://www.stanford.edu/dept/DoR/hs/
4) http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A07621
36.html