Culture and Moral Development: A Cross-Cultural Study

现有的心理学理论将道德领域描述为 超越司法考虑， 人际责任（即响应的义务） 满足家人和朋友的需要）。 他们通常假设， 然而，普遍个人概念化人际关系， 责任是个人选择的问题，而不是 社会认可的职责。 本研究考察了文化 影响人际责任的道德地位。 将进行三项实验研究，评估美国 和印度教印度成年人和儿童（二年级和六年级 （四）义务的解释，以帮助有需要的人。 的 研究预计将表明，美国人倾向于持有一个 相对非功利主义的“基于关系”的观点， 人际责任，即对他人的承诺 被视为能够被自愿放弃，而不是 对个人要求很高，部分取决于 特工喜欢另一个 相反，将表明， 印度人倾向于持有一种不那么激进的“基于角色”的观点， 对他人的承诺被视为基于 不可改变的角色期望，潜在的个人要求 与特工对另一个的喜好无关 的 调查研究将对社会发展做出理论贡献 心理学证明人际关系的概念 责任是文化模式的，而不是普遍的。 在确定一个人际道德体系时， 之前在心理学中得到了认可，该项目将 也有助于扩大目前的知识范围， 道德领域 最后，在对比不同的推理 来自明显不同文化的儿童年龄组， 研究将加强目前对这些过程的理解 潜在的社会认知发展。

Existing psychological theories portray the domain of morality as extending beyond justice considerations to encompass interpersonal responsibilities (i.e. obligations to be responsive to the needs of family and friends). They generally assume, however, that universally individuals conceptualize interpersonal responsibilities as matters of personal choice rather than as socially sanctionable duties. This research examines cultural influences on the moral status of interpersonal responsibilities. Three experimental studies will be conducted assessing American and Hindu Indian adults' and childrens' (second grade and sixth grade) interpretations of obligations to help needy others. The research is expected to demonstrate that Americans tend to hold a relatively voluntaristic "relationship-based" perspective on interpersonal responsibilities, in which commitments to others are seen as capable of being voluntarily abandoned, not personally demanding and as dependent, in part, on whether or not the agent likes the other. In contrast, it will be shown that Indians tend to hold a less voluntaristic "role-based" perspective, in which commitments to others are seen as based on unalterable role expectations, potentially personally demanding and as unrelated to the agent's liking of the other. The investigation will make a theoretical contribution to social psychology in its demonstration that conceptions of interpersonal responsibilities are culturally patterned rather than universal. In identifying a system of interpersonal morality that has not been previously recognized within psychology, the project will also serve to expand current knowledge regarding the scope of the moral domain. Finally, in contrasting the reasoning of different age groups of children from markedly different cultures, the research will enhance current understanding of the processes underlying social cognitive development.