Topic 1: Development Study Guide

Morality in psychology refers to an individual's principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. These principles guide decision-making and actions. Psychologists investigate how these moral principles develop and influence behaviour. A prominent theory in this area is Kohlberg's theory of moral development, which suggests a progression through three levels, each with two stages: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. This framework helps to understand how cognitive processes shape an individual's moral reasoning over time, influenced by experiences and interactions within their social environment. Evaluating these theories involves considering their application, ethical implications in research, and the generalisability of their findings across different cultures.

Piaget and Inhelder (1956) conducted a study using the Three Mountains Task to assess egocentrism in children. Egocentrism, as defined by Piaget, is the inability to see the world from any perspective other than one's own. The task involved a model of three mountains of varying sizes, with different objects placed on them. Children sat on one side of the model, and a doll was placed at various other positions around the model. The children were asked to describe what the doll would see, either by verbally describing it or by selecting a picture from a set of photographs. The findings indicated that younger children (typically under seven years old) struggled to take the doll's perspective, consistently describing what they themselves saw. Older children, by contrast, were more successful at accurately describing the doll's viewpoint, suggesting a decline in egocentrism with age. This study was crucial in supporting Piaget's theory of cognitive development, particularly the pre-operational stage (2-7 years) where egocentrism is a characteristic.