Moral psychology

I saw a fantastic little youtube clip into the human mind of a child.

E.J. Masicampo, a psychology professor who teaches a class on moral psychology. Decided to record his two-year-old son's response to a commonly-discussed ethical dilemma so he could share it with his class.



Now, a person with the right kind of education to teach his kids right from wrong.. Still knew what is going on in a child and his mind..

Im wondering if the same outcome would come with a female child.

a reply to: tikbalang
This child is sure to grow into the next great banker or presidential candidate.

a reply to: tikbalang
I once saw an experiment that was somewhat similar. The kids responded to some shapes that had smiley and sad faces. In that experiment the kids showed that they had instinctive morals and stuck up for the sad square.
In the video posted the little boy opted for the crash, which is pretty normal really. The outcome might have been different had an emotional connection been established first.

I can relate to this. When I was a kid, I once jammed an old tin helmet between train switching tracks. Then I perched myself on a low wall to watch a train derail. There was no concept in me of the reality of what that would entail, regards people being hurt etc. Fortunately a signalman noticed the sabotage. Of course the cops visited my parents and I was suitably reprimanded. Incidentally, the only reason that I had for being there was that the rail bridge was the only way to gain access to the paper mill across the river. We didn't have much as kids and sometimes I could get some decent sheets of paper there.

S+F

Regards midicon.

a reply to: tikbalang


The experiment is faulty--hardly science in action--because the starting position is slewed to the way the kid went. The group is closest to him. Also, I'll invoke a rule I just made up: more peanuts (or anything) are better than a solitary one. And, consciously, the kid never gave a thought that it was easier to bend to do as he did than to bend further to achieve the other.

a reply to: Aliensun

Hello human! Nice to meet you!

In serious mode, as long as you have the belief we are more human than primate.. I cant change it, on the other hand, there is someone with a P.hd who actually made an experiment with his own kid..

Fantasies vs. Reality

Okay - done with my days work and want to chime in here.

Yes - babies are born with a sense of morality. Newborns in a maternity ward will start to cry when they hear other babies cry. It's a social reflex. Somethings wrong! and the neighbor babies say 'somethings wrong!!'

There have been numerous experiments and hundreds of studies done to find out what babies know, how their brains developed, what effect prenatal and postnatal circumstances have on them....

but universally, toddlers (18-24 months) have empathy for others who are in obvious distress. NO RELIGION REQUIRED.

It is an innate thing. I believe they also have, for that brief few years after physical birth, memories of their previous existence.....some of them latch on and talk about it, but most of them simply adapt to the new world.

Reincarnation is real. Babies are born with vastly unique temperaments, dispositions, talents, interests, etc.

I worked for a while as a newborn photographer in the county hospital (lower income and undocumented women delivering babies)....and every one of those hundreds of babies had a "personality".

Some cried all the time, the slightest touch felt like torture to them. Others cooed and laughed. Some resented loud noises, others slept through disruptive sounds, lights, touches, etc.
My own two children had vastly different temperaments. They are both wise beyond their "years" here on Earth - in different ways - and I have spoken at many professional conferences (even national level conferences!) about brain development, family structure, best-practice parenting, Family Systems, and "Children & Families" was my chosen specialty in grad school. That led to case management and clinical counseling.

Anyway - good thread. Hope it gets some traction with the higher thinkers around here.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Wasnt your input extremely subjective?

a reply to: tikbalang

LOL, looks to me like the boy thought he was supposed to hit the largest group so he puts the one lone figure in with the large group and then takes ALL of them out in one shot! Brilliant but hardly a moral or even ethical action. The boy did what seemed effective or comprehensive to him - he took out ALL of the targets!