Journal article
Children's conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory
Developmental psychology, Vol.46(5), pp.1320-1332
09/2010
DOI: 10.1037/a0020381
PMCID: PMC3495080
PMID: 20822241
Abstract
We investigated whether children's robust conscience, formed during early family socialization, promotes their future adaptive and competent functioning in expanded ecologies. We assessed two dimensions of conscience in young children (N = 100) at 25, 38, and 52 months in scripted laboratory contexts: internalization of their mothers' and fathers' rules, observed when the child was alone, and empathic concern toward each parent, observed in simulated distress paradigms. We also assessed the child's self-perception on moral dimensions (the moral self), using a puppet interview at 67 months. At 80 months, parents and teachers produced an overall measure of competent, adaptive functioning by rating children on multiple scales of competent, prosocial, rule-abiding behavior and antisocial behavior. As expected, children with histories of a stronger internalization of both parents' rules were more competent and better socialized; for maternal rules, that link was mediated by the child's moral self. The link between the child's history of empathy toward the mother and future socialization was also significant, but it was not mediated by the moral self. This study elucidates the roles of classic components of morality--moral conduct, affect, and self--as antecedents of an adaptive developmental trajectory from toddler to early school age.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Children's conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory
- Creators
- Grazyna Kochanska - Department of Psychology, University of IowaJamie L Koenig - Department of Psychology, University of IowaRobin A Barry - Department of Psychology, University of IowaSanghag Kim - Department of Sociology, University of IowaJeung Eun Yoon - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Developmental psychology, Vol.46(5), pp.1320-1332
- DOI
- 10.1037/a0020381
- PMID
- 20822241
- PMCID
- PMC3495080
- NLM abbreviation
- Dev Psychol
- ISSN
- 0012-1649
- eISSN
- 1939-0599
- Grant note
- K02 MH001446 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 HD069171 / NICHD NIH HHS K02 MH01446 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH63096 / NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH063096 / NIMH NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2010
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984213427502771
Metrics
21 Record Views