Preschool Children's Judgment on Moral and Conventional Rules

유아의 도덕적 및 인습적 규칙에 대한 판단

This paper is to examine the development of Korean young children's judgement on moral and conventional rules. The subjects are 120 children, 30 each at four age levels; age 3(2.8-3.5), age 4(3.7-4.4), age 5(4.8-5.5), and age 6(5.7-6.5) in a day care center in Taegu. Results are summarized as follows: 1. In terms of nonpermissibility, there was a significant difference in regard to the moral and the conventional rule transgression between the group of age 3 years and three groups of ages 4, 5, and 6. 2. In terms of seriousness, there was a significant difference according to domain. Three groups ages 4, 5 and 6 years evaluate moral transgressions to be more serious than conventional transgressions. 3. In terms of rule contingency and generalizability, there was a significant difference in regard to the moral and conventional transgression between the group of age 3 years and three groups of ages 4, 5 and 6. 4. In terms of punishment, there was significant difference according to domain. Three groups of age 4, 5, and 6 years evaluate moral transgressions to be more punishable than conventional transgressions. 5. Children of age 5 with institutional experience do not make a distinction between moral and conventional rules on punishment criterion.