| Are emotions linked to moral development? | Yes. Emotions, such as feelings of sorrow, guilt, and empathy, are linked to moral development (Davidson, 2011; Gallese, Gernsbacher, Heyes, Hickok, & Lacoboni, 2011; Rothbart, 2011; Thompson & Newton, 2010). |
| What is shame? | Shame is a painful emotion aroused when people recognise that they have failed to act in ways they believe are good. |
| What is guilt? | Guilt is the uncomfortable feelings people get when they know they've caused someone else's distress. |
| According to research, which of the two can aid in advancing moral development: shame or guilt? | To advance moral development, we should teach children to feel guilt rather than shame, when they misbehave.
Shame leads to the feeling that "I am a bad person," which can be devastating, particularly for young children.
Guilt, on the other hand, leads to the feeling that I have done a bad thing, which can be remedied by improving behaviour (Bafunno & Camodeca, 2013). |
| What is empathy and is it important to moral development? | The feelings of empathy is the ability to experience the same emotion someone else is feeling.
Empathy promotes moral and prosocial behaviour, even in the absence of wrongdoing (Spinrad & Eisenberg, 2009; Thompson & Newton, 2010). |
| In promoting academic achievement, is it more effective to praise students' personal characteristics or behaviour? | For instance, when we work with young people to promote academic achievement, we're encourage to praise behaviours, such as effort, rather than personal characteristics.
E.g., "Keep up the good work" is considered more effective, than "You're good at this" (Cimpian, Arce, Markman, & Dweck, 2007; Zentall & Morris, 2013). |
| Should we praise behaviour or characteristics when it comes to supporting moral development? | With respect to moral development, researches found that praising personal characteristics is more effective than praising behaviour (Bryan, Adams, Monin, 2013).
For instance, in a study of young children, researchers found that statements such as "Please be a helper" and "Don't be a cheater" were more effective than, "Please help" and "Don't cheat". |
