1-173 - The Development of Morality: Fairness, Conflict, Cooperation, and Resistance

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Morality is a fundamental part of being human, with evolutionary origins, philosophical roots, and societal relevance. Novel cutting edge lines of research from dominant frameworks such as social domain theory, along with recent research from evolutionary and social-emotional perspectives, have provided an expansion of topics in the field. While the expansion has provided new connections between moral judgments, emotions, and behaviors, tensions have emerged about how to frame, define, and measure morality, and what types of judgments, emotions, and behaviors count as moral. Central to discuss includes whether morality is a form of cooperation, how to reconcile morality as entailing compliance to norms or resistance to inequality, whether there is a judgment-action gap, the role of parents, and how to conceptualize the transition from social behavior to moral judgment. Scholars outside of development science research draw on our theories and findings. Dialogue about these issues among proponents of different developmental science approaches is necessary to advance the field. The Roundtable Conversation, moderated by Melanie Killen, will address current debates in the field, and provide a forum for an integrative discussion about moral development from childhood to adolescence. Five internationally known researchers will address these controversies and invite audience participation and exchange. The issues are: 1) relationships between cooperation and morality; 2) resistance to unfair treatment and social inequalities; 3) parental interactions as a source of influence; 4) the transition from social behavior to moral judgment; and 5) the role of emotions and judgments in the acquisition and development of morality.

Sub Unit

• Moral Development

Moderator

• Melanie Killen, University of Maryland

Panelists

• Michael Tomasello, Duke University

• Melanie Killen, University of Maryland

• Judith Smetana, University of Rochester

• Audun Dahl, University of California Santa Cruz

• Tina Malti, University of Toronto