Neuroscience & Moral Emotions
18-month threshold
Children under 18 months rarely feel guilt or shame because these self-conscious emotions require a developed sense of self and ability for self-reflection, which typically appears when they pass the "mirror test."
Social Intuitionist Model
Deontology
certain actions are inherently right or wrong, independent of their outcomes, and that individual rights must never be sacrificed
Heteronomous Morality
in this Piagetian stage (5-10), children view rules as rigid, unchangeable, and handed down by authority figures
What is the elephant?
In Haidt's metaphor, this animal represents our automatic, intuitive gut feelings, which are actually in control of our moral path
Guilt vs Shame
Guilt - a private emotion about a specific behavior (i did something bad) that motivates us to fix a mistake
Shame - a more public emotion about the global self (i am bad), which can lead to depression or aggresion
The Elephant and Rider
The elephant represents automatic, intuitive gut feelings that are in control. The rider acts as a lawyer, searching for reasons to defend the Elephant's path
Utiltarianism
a collective approach where actions are judged based on their consequences and what brings the greatest good
think of the trolley problem
Autonomous Morality
Children begin to prioritize intentions over the physical consequences of an action when making moral judgments
Moral dumbfounding
people firmly believe that an act is wrong, such as Julie and Mark, but are unable to provide a rational reason why
ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex
This brain region integrates emotions and gut feelings into conscious reasoning. Damage to this region can lead to bad life decisions because logic is no longer guided by emotional signals
WEIRD vs Non WEIRD
Western Educated Industrilized Rich Democratic
cultures have a narrow morality focused almost entirely on harm and rights.
Non WEIRD cultures like low SES Brazilians often have a broader morality that moralizes disgust and disrespectful, even when harmless
Eye gaze and reaching
nativists use these two physical indicators to understand what pre-verbal babies are thinking or expecting during social expreiments
Moral Domain
Hitting and pushing are categorized under this domain because they cause intrinsic harm to others' welfare
Inequity Aversion
cucumber vs grape experiment
This is a mechanism involving protest against receiving a lesser reward
Somatic Marker
These are bodily feelings (gut reactions) that arise from distress after a transgression, helping us anticipate and avoid bad behavior
Moral Foundations Theory
We have innate moral taste buds refined by culture
care/harm - linked to empathy and protecting the vulnerable
fairness/reciprocity - focused on proportionality and preventing cheating
In group loyalty - triggered by signs of betrayal and group cohesion
Authority/respect - triggered by signs of dominance
purity/ santiity - triggered by "taboo ideas" and disgust
liberty/oppression - addressing resentment toward the dominator
This is the point where logic is being used, and kids are asking, "What's in it for me?" and doing good for rewards
Stage 3 Good Boy Nice Girl
The primary motivation is to obtain social approval and be seen as a "nice" person
Equality Bias
6 to 8 year olds demonstrated this bias by choosing to throw an extra eraser away rather than divide it unequally
Oxytocin
"moral hormone" that is released during labor and breastfeeding and increases trusting and generous behavior in adults
SUPER SUPER SURPRISE
WE ARE GOING TO ACE THIS!!!!
Social Conventional, and Personal Domain
customs and norms like table manners that are only wrong if a rule or authority prohibits them
Personal domains are the choices regarding privacy and individual preferences this can be choice of friends
Cooperation
This concept describes how morality evolved to solve the "me vs us" tension, allowing individuals to reap the benefits of working together