Deck 10: Altruism and Moral Development

Question 1

Research on the development of sympathy and compassion suggests that these attributes

A) are present from age 6 months
B) can emerge early and are sometimes observed in toddlers
C) first appear during the preschool period (ages 3-5)
D) emerge by age 8 with the development of role-taking skills

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Twin studies reveal that ________ contribute(s) to individual differences in empathy and prosocial conduct.

A) individual genotypes
B) shared environmental influences
C) nonshared environmental influences
D) individual genotypes and shared environmental influences
E) all of these

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Jim helps George paint his garage in order to replay George for a previous favor. Proponents of the _____ definition of altruism would not consider Jim's behavior to be altruistic.

A) behavioral
B) ideological
C) motivational
D) cognitive-developmental

Answer 3

C

Question 4

One shortcoming of the evolutionary theory of altruism is that ______.

A) it fails to tell us what characteristics might have evolved that might make humans prosocially inclined.
B) It cannot explain why close relatives are more likely to be helped than distant relatives
C) it applies to the human species as a whole and does not account for individual differences in altruism
D) all of these

Question 5

Which of the following acts qualify as examples of prosocial behavior?

A) complimenting a classmate on her appearance
B) sharing cookies with a playmate
C) cooperating with a partner to achieve a mutual goal
D) complimenting a classmate on her appearance and sharing cookies with a playmate
E) all of these

Question 6

Twin studies reveal that ______ on prosocial behavior decline over time whereas the influence of _______ become stronger with age

A) genes; shared environmental influences
B) genes; nonshared environmental influences
C) shared environmental influences; nonshared environmental influences
D) nonshared environmental influences; share environmental influences

Question 7

A person who defines altruism as "Any act that provides comfort or assistance to other living organisms" clearly favors the _____ definition of altruism.

A) behavioral
B) motivational
C) intentional
D) ideological

Question 8

One reason that adults _____ sharp distinctions between prosocial behavior and altruism when evaluating the benevolence of young children is that _____.

A) make; adults insist that children adopt a motivational definition of altruism
B) make; adults view altruism as mandatory and prosocial conduct as discretionary
C) fail to make; they wish to encourage any kind of benevolence on children's part
D) fail to make; they are trying to encourage children to adopt a behavioral rather than a motivational definition of altruism

Question 9

Social-learning theorists view empathic responding as compatible with their explanation of altruism, arguing that

A) empathizers help to receive others' praise
B) empathizers help to relieve their own empathic distress
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 10

According to learning theorists, children develop altruistic habits because

A) frequent reinforcement of their previous acts of kindness have made such behavior intrinsically satisfying
B) they have internalized the norm of reciprocity and can expect the recipient to help them in the future
C) they have learned that the immediate payoffs for prosocial acts almost always exceed the costs of helping
D) they are critical of the behavior of selfish models

Question 11

Peterson & Gelfand (1984) found that grade school children favor a(n) _____ definition of altruism, whereas most parents prefer the _____ definition.

A) behavioral; motivational
B) motivational; behavioral
C) autonomous; motivational
D) behavioral; normative

Question 12

The idea that one should help others who need help is known as

A) the Good Samaritan norm
B) the norm of social responsibility
C) the norm of reciprocity
D) the categorical imperative

Question 13

Cognitive-developmentalists argue that children should reliably begin to behave prosocially in order to seek others' approval _____.

A) as toddlers
B) during the preschool period
C) as grade-school children
D) during adolescence

Question 14

According to cognitive-developmentalists, universal norms or principles such as the Golden Rule should begin to trigger strong attributions of personal responsibility for helping others who need help during

A) toddlerhood
B) the preschool period(i.e., ages 3-5)
C) middle childhood(i.e., ages 6-10)
D) adolescence

Question 15

Proponents of psychoanalytic theory believe that altruistic norms and values are

A) inborn
B) acquired as the child internalizes parental norms and values
C) acquired as the ego matures and the child becomes more proficient at role-taking
D) interpretable as disguised versions of id-based, hedonistic impulses

Question 16

Social learning theorists have assumed that prosocial acts that appear to be _____ are actually _____.

A) self-sacrificial; self-reinforcing
B) self-reinforcing; self-sacrificial
C) rewarding; costly
D) helpful; self-sacrificial

Question 17

Twin studies of individual differences in empathy and prosocial behavior imply all the following except ____________.

A) some of us inherit more "altruistic" genes than others
B) genetic contributions to empathy/prosocial conduct are most closely linked to individual differences in temperament
C) such shared environmental influences as parenting are most important early in life
D) nonshared environmental influences become more important influences with age

Question 18

Cognitive-developmental theorists think that altruism becomes more common in middle childhood as grade-school children acquire _____. Adolescents are even more altruistically inclined because they now have skills to appreciate the implications of _____.

A) the ability to conserve; another person's discrepant point of view
B) the ability to conserve; abstract prosocial norms
C) role-taking skills; another person's discrepant point of view
D) role-taking skills; abstract prosocial norms

Question 19

If "any act that benefits other people" is the definition of prosocial behavior (and it is), then proponents of the _____ definition of altruism would say that to be altruistic is simply to behave prosocially.

A) motivational
B) behavioral
C) autonomous
D) normative

Question 20

Donald Campbell's (1965) biological viewpoint is that

A) the self-serving side of human nature is much stronger than our prosocial inclinations
B) altruism is a biologically programmed prosocial motive that has evolved because of its survival value
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 21

Social information-processing theorists (for example, Grusec & Redler) would argue that _____ will foster altruistic behavior, at least among children aged _____ , who are old enough to understand the implications of this treatment.

A) labeling a child as "generous," "helpful," etc.; 8 years and older
B) labeling a child as "generous," "helpful," etc.; 5 years and older
C) tangible rewards; 8 years and older
D) tangible rewards; 5 years and older

Question 22

According to research on the empathy-altruism relationship (e.g., Chapman et al., 1987), empathy may come to mediate altruism once

A) the empathizer experiences personal distress over a victim's misfortune
B) the empathizer experiences sympathetic distress over a victim's misfortune
C) the empathizer's vicarious arousal causes him to focus on altruistic principles he/she has learned
D) the empathizer experiences personal distress over a victim's misfortune and the empathizer's vicarious arousal causes him to focus on altruistic principles he/she has learned
E) the empathizer experiences sympathetic distress over a victim's misfortune and the empathizer's vicarious arousal causes him to focus on altruistic principles he/she has learned

Question 23

Eisenberg and associates have found that mature prosocial moral reasoners are more likely than immature prosocial moral reasoners to

A) help or share with their peers
B) help someone they dislike, if that person truly needs assistance
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 24

Volunteerism is a prosocial activity that becomes more frequent in ______ and often reflects the prosocial expectations of _______.

A) middle childhood; teachers
B) adolescence; peers
C) adolescence; parents
D) middle childhood; parents

Question 25

According to the "felt responsibility" interpretation of the empathy-altruism relationship, older children may be more inclined than younger ones to feel a personal obligation to assist a person in need because

A) they experience more self-oriented empathic distress in response to others' needs
B) they have learned more altruistic principles and have more to think about when experiencing empathic distress
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 26

Zahn-Waxler and associates found that mothers of especially compassionate toddlers were likely to respond to their child's harmdoing with a statement such as

A) "OK mister, I'm going to blister your butt for pinching Susie!"
B) "You made Susie cry! You hurt her by pinching her!"
C) "Stop that now!"
D) "OK, an eye for an eye! Come over here Susie, and pinch him back!"

Question 27

Sharing in preschool children has been found to

A) occur quite frequently as a spontaneous act
B) be more likely to occur if the other child requests a share than if none is requested
C) become less likely when parents instruct their children to consider others' needs
D) occur more often than compassionate comforting

Question 28

If a parent wishes his/her toddler to behave compassionately towards others the parent should

A) command the child to stop harming and start comforting distressed playmates
B) discipline harmdoing with explanations that link the child's wrongful behavior to the distress that it has caused
C) discipline harmdoing with physical sanctions
D) teach the principle of reciprocity by allowing the distressed playmate to harm the child

Question 29

Toddlers who are less inclined to feel compassion for a distressed companion and more inclined to experience personal distress are those who _____.

A) have behaviorally inhibited, or fearful temperaments
B) have behaviorally uninhibited, fearless temperaments
C) are securely attached and are unconcerned about alienating parents with their own distress
D) are boys rather than girls

Question 30

We might infer that a proficiency at role-taking causes children to behave more altruistically from observations that

A) children who are trained to be better role-takers become more altruistic
B) the association between role-taking skills and altruism becomes stronger with age
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 31

Spontaneous sharing or help-giving is commonly observed among younger preschool children (i.e., 2 ½- 3 ½-year-olds) _____.

A) under no circumstances
B) during pretend play
C) during interactions with peer companions
D) during the month before Santa comes

Question 32

Working with 5- and with 8-year-olds, Grusec and Redler found that labeling children as "nice" or "helpful" was likely to promote future prosocial acts among _____ because these children _____ .

A) 5-year-olds; interpreted the label as a reinforcer for prosocial conduct
B) 8-year-olds; will try to incorporate trait-like information into their self-concepts
C) both of the above
D) none of these; labeling was ineffective at promoting altruism for both age groups

Question 33

Chondra helps her brother with his homework because she knows her parents will be pleased with her helpful conduct. Chondra's reasoning about helping is reflecting Eisenberg's _____ level of prosocial moral reasoning.

A) needs-oriented
B) stereotyped, approval-oriented
C) empathic
D) hedonistic

Question 34

Mickey chooses to work on Saturday to help with the Special Olympics. In his own words, "I believe that the Special Olympics is a most worthy cause and I'd feel horrible if I simply turned my back on the kids and went fishing instead of working." Mickey's justification for helping places him at the _____ level of prosocial moral reasoning.

A) hedonistic
B) needs-oriented
C) empathic or internalized values orientation
D) approval-oriented

Question 35

Empathy is not a good predictor of altruistic behavior for younger children (i.e., age 7 or younger) because these youngsters are likely to

A) experience no vicarious emotions of any kind
B) fail to understand exactly why they are feeling distressed when witnessing the distress of others
C) have no capacity for empathy
D) experience no vicarious emotions of any kind and have no capacity for empathy
E) all of these

Question 36

Research on sex differences in prosocial conduct clearly indicates that _____ .

A) girls are somewhat more helpful, cooperative, and willing to share than boys are
B) girls are less concerned about others' welfare than boys
C) girls are more likely to seek help than boys
D) girls are somewhat more helpful, cooperative, and willing to share than boys are and girls are more likely to seek help than boys
E) all of these

Question 37

Jane justifies sharing her lunch with a classmate by saying, "Well, she forgot her lunch and doesn't have anything to eat. I don't have to share and wouldn't feel bad not sharing because she should have remembered to bring her lunch. So it's her fault, but she has to eat." Jane would be classified at the _____ level of prosocial moral reasoning.

A) hedonistic
B) needs-oriented
C) approval-oriented
D) empathic

Question 38

A good role-taker is likely to be more helpful than a poor role-taker

A) if the person who needs help explicitly asks for assistance
B) if the recipient's needs are subtle or his requests are indirect
C) if the recipient is the same gender as the prospective helper
D) if the recipient is younger than the prospective helper

Question 39

Parents can promote sympathetic empathic arousal by

A) modeling empathic concern
B) explicitly verbalizing their own sympathetic reactions to others
C) fostering their children's emotional security
D) modeling empathic concern and fostering their children's emotional security
E) all of these

Question 40

Empathic arousal is likely to promote prosocial behavior if that arousal is

A) self-oriented distress
B) sympathetic empathic arousal
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 41

_____ is a clear example of the affective component of morality.

A) Stealing a cookie
B) Feeling guilty about stealing a cookie
C) Deciding to steal a cookie
D) Deciding to confess for having stolen a cookie

Question 42

In their 1975 study of six cultures, where did the Whitings find that U.S.
children ranked in altruism?

A) most altruistic of the six cultures
B) about the same as other industrialized nations in the study
C) about the same as non-industrialized nations in the study
D) least altruistic of the six cultures

Question 43

Studies of the effects of altruistic exhortations reveal that

A) words (telling children they should be altruistic) are wasted on children
B) a model's actions often speak louder than words
C) exhortations can elicit altruism if they justify acts of kindness in terms of the needs of prospective recipients
D) words (telling children they should be altruistic) are wasted on children and a model's actions often speak louder than words
E) a model's actions often speak louder than words and exhortations can elicit altruism if they justify acts of kindness in terms of the needs of prospective recipients

Question 44

Behaving in accordance with rules, even when authority figures are not around to detect transgressions or enforce these edicts, provides some evidence of

A) repression
B) conformity
C) internalization
D) identification

Question 45

_____ have typically enjoyed close ties to prosocial models who regularly practiced what they preached.

A) fully committed civil rights activists
B) partially committed civil rights activists
C) Christians who risked their lives to harbor Jews from Nazis
D) fully committed civil rights activists and Christians who risked their lives to harbor Jews from Nazis
E) partially committed civil rights activists and Christians who risked their lives to harbor Jews from Nazis

Question 46

Lee and associates (1997) study of Canadian and Chinese children's thinking about prosocial and antisocial conduct revealed that

A) Canadian children thought it acceptable to deny responsibility for antisocial conduct whereas Chinese children did not.
B) Chinese children thought it acceptable to deny responsibility for antisocial conduct whereas Canadian children did not.
C) Canadian children thought it acceptable to deny responsibility for prosocial conduct whereas Chinese children did not.
D) Chinese children thought it acceptable to deny responsibility for prosocial conduct whereas Canadian children did not.

Question 47

According to Rosenhan (1970), fully committed civil rights activists differed from partially committed civil rights activists in that they

A) had enjoyed warmer relations with their parents
B) had parents who had preached altruism and had practiced what they preached
C) had stronger attitudes about racial equality and civil rights
D) had enjoyed warmer relations with their parents and had parents who had preached altruism and had practiced what they preached
E) had parents who had preached altruism and had practiced what they preached and had stronger attitudes about racial equality and civil rights

Question 48

According to Freud, the superego is formed as a result of

A) an emotional conflict centering around the child's love for the other-sex parent
B) the child's newly acquired ability to think about hypotheticals
C) a fear of losing the affection of the same-sex parent
D) parents' reinforcement of the child's morally acceptable acts

Question 49

One reason that _____ discipline for harmdoing may inspire children to be more altruistic is that this kind of discipline _____.

A) rational, affectively-oriented; encourages empathy, role-taking, and reparative prosocial acts
B) rational, affectively-oriented; makes children feel that they will undermine parents' approval if they do not behave in a more kindly manner
C) forceful, punitive; encourages children to behave in a more kindly manner in order to avoid punishment
D) forceful, punitive; makes children feel that they will undermine parents approval if they do not behave in a more kindly manner.

Question 50

Cultural differences in thinking about altruism are quite evident from recent findings (Lee et al., 1997) that compared to Canadian children, Chinese children

A) view prosocial conduct as more obligatory than discretionary
B) are inclined to deny responsibility for having performed prosocial acts that might be expected of them
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 51

A psychoanalyst would be likely to focus on the _____ aspects of morality, whereas a social learning theorist might be more inclined to study _____ .

A) ethical; moral affect
B) affective; moral reasoning
C) behavioral; moral reasoning
D) affective; moral behavior

Question 52

_____ is thought to underlie a mature sense of morality by all moral development theorists.

A) Fear of punishment for wrongdoing
B) Internalization of moral principles
C) Obedience for tangible rewards
D) Obedience to please others

Question 53

Recent cross-cultural research reveals that _______.

A) Chinese children are more prone to lying than Canadian children are
B) Canadian children are more prone to lying than Chinese children are
C) Canadian children view lies as less offensive when they help a friend rather than a group to which they belong
D) Chinese children view lies to help a group to which they belong as more offensive than lies to help a friend

Question 54

Deciding whether another person's actions are right or wrong involves the _____ component of morality?

A) cognitive
B) affective
C) behavioral
D) external

Question 55

A cognitive theorist studying moral development would probably concentrate on

A) the development of conscience
B) the child's resolution of moral dilemmas
C) the development of guilt and shame
D) resisting temptation and inhibiting immoral behavior

Question 56

Whiting and Whiting's (1975) survey of children's altruism in six cultures revealed that

A) U.S. children are much more altruistic than those from third-world countries such as Kenya and the Philippines
B) the more altruistic youngsters came from smaller families and engaged primarily in self-care routines
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 57

Cross-cultural studies imply that prosocial conduct is most common in cultures in which _____.

A) children live in large families and routinely contribute to family welfare
B) children live in small families with a primary breadwinner and stay at home mothers
C) children live in large families and routinely look after themselves
D) children live in industrialized societies with their emphasis on the norm of social responsibility

Question 58

Cultural differences in thinking about altruism are quite evident from recent
findings (Lee et al., 1997) that compared to Canadian children, Chinese children

A) making money
B) achieving at school
C) competition and individual goals
D) the reciprocity norm

Question 59

If parents or teachers hoped to promote altruistic behavior, they would probably be least successful if they were to

A) praise the child for acts of kindness
B) provide tangible rewards for sharing or helping
C) model altruism in their own lives
D) give affective explanations (scoldings) when the child causes harm to others

Question 60

A child is especially likely to imitate the behavior of a prosocial model if

A) the model practices what he/she preaches
B) the model's exhortations are brief, merely reminding the child of the norm of social responsibility
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 61

Recent research reveals that many 33-to 45-month-olds have a "conscience" that already consists of two components; ________ and _____________.

A) moral emotions; rule-compatible conduct
B) moral emotions; internalized moral rules
C) rule-compatible conduct; internalized moral rules
D) the ego; the superego

Question 62

According to Piaget, a child who says that the naughtiness of an act depends on the actor's intentions is at the _____ stage of moral development.

A) premoral
B) heteronomous
C) autonomous
D) realistic

Question 63

According to research by Smetana and others, even young preschool children are bothered by violations of a moral rule, such as

A) chewing gum in class
B) pulling hair
C) spitting on the floor
D) not saying grace before eating

Question 64

After stealing a dollar from his mother's wallet, Ike passes a billboard with Santa Claus on it. He then gets very nervous about his prospects for receiving nice Christmas gifts and returns home to slip the dollar back into Mom's purse. Ike

A) is probably at Piaget's heteronomous stage of moral reasoning
B) is probably at Piaget's autonomous stage of moral reasoning
C) is displaying a belief in immanent justice
D) is probably at Piaget's heteronomous stage of moral reasoning and is displaying a belief in immanent justice
E) is probably at Piaget's autonomous stage of moral reasoning and is displaying a belief in immanent justice

Question 65

George belches loudly in his preschool class, and his teacher reprimands him for his behavior. A few minutes later Judy pinches Thel and makes her cry. In evaluating these acts, preschool classmates are likely to _____ .

A) evaluate Judy as naughtier than George
B) evaluate George as naughtier than Judy
C) evaluate Judy and George as equally naughty
D) evaluate neither Judy or George as naughty because preschool children respect few if any rules

Question 66

Piaget cites _____ as a primary contributor to the young child's moral realism and argues that _____ is particularly important in promoting moral autonomy.

A) egocentrism; parental socialization
B) egocentrism; contacts with peers
C) contacts with peers; parental socialization
D) egocentrism; expiatory punishment

Question 67

Later research reveals that Piaget was right in asserting that

A) a child's moral reasoning depends, in part, on his level of cognitive development
B) younger children are more likely than older ones to believe in immanent justice
C) peers contribute in a positive way to children's moral reasoning
D) all of these

Question 68

The cognitive-developmental perspective on morality assumes all of the following except _____.

A) moral reasoning progresses through an invariant sequence of stages
B) moral development depends very heavily on cognitive development
C) each moral stage evolves from and replaces the stage before it
D) bright children can be trained to skip one or more stages of moral reasoning

Question 69

Modern conscience theorists have rejected Freud's Oedipal morality, arguing instead that children can form a conscience _____ in the context of _____.

A) as infants; a warm, secure, cooperative parent-child relationship
B) as toddlers; a warm, secure, cooperative parent-child relationship
C) as infants; a stern, no-nonsense parent-child relationship
D) as toddlers; a stern, no-nonsense parent-child relationship

Question 70

Piaget favored _____ as a strategy for studying children's moral development.

A) naturalistic observation
B) the clinical method and use of moral decision stories
C) field experimentation
D) laboratory experimentation

Question 71

According to Freud, a child's internalization of _____ moral standards leads to the development of the _____ .

A) both parents'; ego
B) both parents'; superego
C) the same-sex parent's; ego
D) the same-sex parent's; superego
E) the other-sex parent's; superego

Question 72

Modern conscience theorists stress that firm but rational evaluation of a toddler's behavior specifying clearly why that behavior is wrong will promote _____ and lead to ____, a precursor of an internalized conscience.

A) anxiety about repeating the forbidden act; committed compliance
B) mutual understandings of right and wrong; committed compliance
C) anxiety about repeating the forbidden act; situational compliance
D) mutual understandings of right and wrong; situational compliance

Question 73

Research on children's consideration of the intentions of harmdoers has

A) confirmed Piaget's finding that younger children assign less weight to intentions than older children
B) shown that even preschoolers can consider the intentions of the harmdoer when making moral judgments
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 74

People in Piaget's heteronomous stage of moral development believe that

A) rules are sacred and unchangeable
B) an actor's intentions matter more than the consequences of her act
C) it is easy to "get away with" many transgressions
D) punishment should be tailored to the misdeed so that transgressors understand the implications of their wrongful acts

Question 75

One Freudian hypothesis about moral development that has received some support is that

A) females develop weaker superegos than males do
B) children of threatening parents are more morally mature than children of warm, nurturant parents
C) children show no signs of strong moral emotions (for example, guilt) until age 6 to 7, when they resolve their Oedipal or Electra complex
D) children of threatening parents are more morally mature than children of warm, nurturant parents and children show no signs of strong moral emotions (for example, guilt) until age 6 to 7, when they resolve their Oedipal or Electra complex
E) none of these

Question 76

Julio and Paul don't seem to care who wins when they plan Monopoly. In fact, it often seems as if they are playing according to different rules; but they consistently enjoy themselves and have few squabbles while playing. These two boys seem to be at Piaget's _____ of moral reasoning.

A) premoral level
B) heteronomous stage
C) autonomous stage
D) social-conventional stage

Question 77

According to Piaget, equal-status contact with peers _____ autonomous morality because it _____.

A) promotes; illustrates that rules are arbitrary agreements that can be changed
B) promotes; provides additional models for rule compliance
C) inhibits; increases the child's respect for adult authority when arguments among playmates must be resolved by an adult
D) inhibits; undermines the child's self-respect and self-confidence

Question 78

As described by Piaget, immanent justice

A) refers to the belief that rule violations are invariably punished
B) is a system of justice that shapes punitive consequences to the "crime" so that the rule breaker understands the implications of his transgression
C) characterizes children who are at the autonomous level of moral reasoning
D) all of these

Question 79

Modern conscience theorists (for example, Kochanska) find that children who show signs of a strong, internalized conscience between age 3 1/2 and 5 years have

A) already resolved their Oedipus or Electra complex
B) had a warm, mutually responsive orientation toward their mothers earlier in toddlerhood
C) learned and respect their mothers' ability to enforce rules, displaying high levels of situational compliance
D) none of the above; 3 1/2-5-year-olds show little evidence of an internalized conscience

Question 80

Children entering Piaget's autonomous stage of moral development believe that

A) misdeeds are invariably punished
B) the consequences of a wrongful act matter more than the actor's intentions
C) rules can be changed with the consent of the people they govern
D) cheating is OK if you can get away with it