Children Exhibit Moral Behavior, But Are Not Morally Praiseworthy.

I will extend all my points and provide adequate sources and studies to back them in this, the final round. Moral reasoning: Kohlbergs Theory has identified an invariant sequence of six stages of reasoning about morality; i.e., a developmental progression of increasingly more effective ways of thinking about and resolving moral problems and issues. Research suggests that the first stage is an early childhood stage. (Infant, toddler, etc.) Kohlberg, L. (1976). Moral stages and moralization: The cognitive-developmental approach. In T. Lickona (Ed.), Moral development and behavior: Theory, research, and social issues (pp.31-53). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu... http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu... Most research has focused on three principal parent variables, parental stage of moral reasoning, parental discipline style, and family communication patterns, but only the latter two appear to account for most of the development of moral reasoning in children. Baumrind (1971) and others (e.g., Hoffman & Saltzstein, 1967) have identified discrete patterns of parental behavior that are referred to as Parenting Styles. Baumrind has described three predominant parenting styles. 1.)Authoritarian parents are highly controlling and demanding but affectively cold and hostile and generally uncommunicative. 2.)Permissive parents tend to be loving and communicative but wield little control and set few demands for mature behavior. More recently (Baumrind, 1980), Permissive parenting has been differentiated into the more classically warm laissez faire style and the more distant neglectful style; however, the research being reviewed here pre-dates this differentiation. 3.)Authoritative parents are loving, controlling, communicative, and set high maturity demands for their children. It is those parents whom researchers have found to produce the most positive child characteristics, including higher moral functioning. Hence, it appears that a pattern of Authoritative parenting, especially with its focus on open supportive communication, is nurturing of children's moral reasoning development. Sources of these studies; Baumrind,1980; Hoffman - Saltztein, 1967; Kohlberg, 1976; Berkowitz, 1997; Parenting practices and daily discipline have a huge effect on a child's developing sense of morality. Children who receive fair consequences every time they break a rule will learn to connect their choices with consequences. For example, if Daisy gets in trouble only periodically for taking change out of Mommy's coin jar, Daisy may learn that stealing is sometimes okay. However, if Daisy learns that she will get fair consequences every time she takes money from Mom's coin jar, she will understand that stealing is never okay. Furthermore, she will learn a lesson (hopefully) that she will carry forward as she matures into a responsible and moral young woman. http://www.mentalhelp.net... ********* The resolution simply states that "Children Exhibit Moral Behavior, But Are Not Morally Praiseworthy." I affirm,.. Children exhibit good moral behavior, ergo they are morally praiseworthy. My opponents resolution assumes Children Exhibit Moral BEHAVIOR. If the child exhibits good moral BEHAVIOR, conceptualized or other, the BEHAVIOR its self would be at the very least, worthy of praise. ******* As the studies I provided state,.. that even in early childhood development, moral praise, discipline, and guidance, are extremely important in the development of the child's morals. Thus, I affirm - Children exhibit good moral behavior, ergo they are morally praiseworthy. *********