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Some Moral Concepts and Judgments of Junior School Children *
Author(s) -
PRINGLE M. L. KELLMER,
EDWARDS J. B.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1964.tb00429.x
Subject(s) - wickedness , honesty , psychology , cruelty , lying , social psychology , ideal (ethics) , test (biology) , adventure , wish , developmental psychology , sociology , criminology , law , theology , medicine , paleontology , philosophy , biology , political science , computer science , anthropology , radiology , operating system
The following three devices were used with a sample of 226 children: (1) The 'Ideal Person' Test, where the child names the person he would most wish to be like and gives reasons for his choice; (2) The 'Moral Wickedness' Test, where the subject describes what he considers to be the most 'wicked' deeds; (3) The 'Moral Incidents' Test, where ten hypothetical situations, involving honesty, loyalty, responsibility and punishment, are presented together with alternative methods of meeting them. The results were analysed in relation to sex and intelligence as assessed by the Stanford‐Binet Scale. The majority of children chose as their ideal characters personally unknown to them. Both sexes tended to choose male figures but boys mentioned a relatively greater proportion of characters associated with war, adventure, politics and sport, whereas girls chose a higher proportion of people distinguished because of moral or religious qualities. Less able children more often named as their ideal someone from their immediate circle of relatives or friends and gave fewer reasons for their choice than the more intelligent group. The most frequently mentioned 'wicked deeds' were murder, physical cruelty, stealing and cruelty to animals. Though the sexes showed considerable unanimity in their list of wicked actions, a higher proportion of girls than boys considered stealing, cruelty to animals, lying and swearing to be wicked. The most intelligent group produced a greater number and variety of morally wicked actions. The findings from the 'Moral Incidents' Test suggest that straightforward moral issues are readily understood by children but that the duller child's moral judgment is prone to become confused or blurred in the face of complexity or subtlety.