Moral Development in Infants

According to Ask Dr. Sears, during the first year your infant is not able to moralize in terms of how others feel, but he
does have a sense of right or wrong when those feelings apply to himself. For example, he determines that hunger is a
wrong feeling, because it’s uncomfortable and scary. Your response to his cries teaches him that you are there to make
him feel better, and he feels rightness being at the center of his new world.

Birth to 3 Months

From birth, your baby learns to socialize based on your cues. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, during
the first three months your baby begins to smile intentionally, and becomes increasingly communicative. She enjoys
interacting with people and begins imitating movements and expressions. She is learning to identify the people who love
and care for her. During this time she learns to use sounds, expressions and movements to tell you how she is feeling. As
you respond to these cues, she learns that she can trust and rely on you to comfort her, which helps her learn to comfort
herself. To encourage your baby’s moral and social development during the first three months, Zero to Three recommends
that you hold, talk and sing to your baby to help her to feel loved.

4 to 7 Months

Between the ages of 4 and 7 months, your baby becomes increasingly social. Babies at this stage appear happy and joyful
and communicate using sounds, movement and facial expressions. Zero to Three recommends that you learn and respond
to your baby’s communication signals at this stage to encourage social development. If your baby looks at a mirror and
smiles, ask him if he likes looking at himself. Have conversations with your baby. When you respond to his sounds, he
knows you care about what he is saying and this encourages him to talk more.

8 to 12 Months

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, by 8 months of age your baby enjoys imitating others when playing
and will start to show a preference for certain toys and people. When someone speaks to her, she makes sounds in reply.
She is learning how to communicate emotions like happiness and anger, and actions like waving goodbye. While babies at
this stage of social development enjoy meeting new people, they need time to feel comfortable with them. To encourage
this stage of moral and social development, comment on what your baby does to make things happen and use words to
describe her feelings. Copy her actions. If she waves, wave back to her. According to the University of Illinois, by 12
months of age your baby should also begin to develop an idea of what is and what is not allowed.

Infant Moral Development

By Neal Litherland, eHow Contributor

Infants

o The officially recognized age of an infant is 1 year and below. Since there is practically no way
to effectively communicate with children so young, the age of moral development in the
following sections will be to the age of 4. During this period, children begin to understand the
world they live in, learn to speak and communicate effectively and start to define their sense of
self.

Egocentric Reasoning

o The first stage of moral development in children, according to Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg, is
referred to as egocentric reasoning. From birth to the age of 4, children see the entire world in
terms of self. The justification for why something is right is because the child is getting his way.
The only things that enforce a child's way of thinking at this stage is that acting one way will
earn him rewards, and acting another way will earn him punishments.
Empathy

o According to William Damon however, there may be more to a child's development than that.
The idea of empathy--or of experiencing another person's pain and emotions as their own--is
something that manifests in children of this age group. Young children who can barely vocalize,
have been observed trying to comfort other people, such as a young boy offering his security
blanket to an upset mother. If a child were operating on a strict punishment versus pleasure
world view, then this offering of comfort would be an anomaly.

Maslow

o According to Abraham Maslow, a psychologist who theorized on human development, people

have a certain, ascending order of needs that have to be met. The bottom of the pyramid is a
person's physical needs such as hunger and thirst. The second level is physical safety and
security. Only after these two needs have been met, does the third tier of love and belonging
come in. It could be argued that it is a person's need to be loved and to belong that begins the
development of a moral code that fits in with the demonstrated morals of those who he wishes
to fit in with.

Learned Behavior

o Infant morality, like most other forms of behavior that young children show, is a learned
behavior. While young children are learning speech and grammar from their parents, they're
also learning about body language. Once a child begins to comprehend behavior, he begins to
learn what's right and wrong by example. If a child is punished for an act, then he learns that it
must be wrong in the eyes of his parents. It's only later, once children begin to interact with
people other than their parents, and in situations outside their own home, do they begin to
develop a higher and more complicated sense of morality than what they've been taught by
example.

Moral and social development in infants occurs simultaneously. According to the theories of Jean Piaget,
the trust built through the care giving relationship sets the groundwork for future social interactions
and moral responses. Rebecca Parlakain and Claire Lerner of the website Zero to Three encourage
parents to learn and respond to their infant's signals in order to provide a supportive environment for
social and moral development to take place.

Newborns

Infants in their first month are beginning to interact with their environment and the people in it. They
enjoy being held in ways that allow them to view the faces of their caregivers. Crying is primary form of
communication for infants and their sole means of seeking attention and interaction. Frequent touching
and holding are beneficial for infants. Nevertheless, Eileen Allen and Lynn Marotz, authors of "By the
Ages," caution that too much movement or tactile stimulation can be over stimulating.

1 to 4 Months

Infants in this age range increase their activity and social interactions. As they become more aware of
their bodies, they kick with excitement, turn their heads and grasp at objects. Infants smile and squeal
when they recognize a friendly face. They also begin to enjoy the consistent face-to-face social
interactions involved in their daily routine, such as diapering, bathing and feeding. Caregivers respond to
the vocalizations of infants, reinforcing them by repeating the sounds to the infant. Allen and Marotz
note that these reciprocal interactions are key in infant social development.

4 to 8 Months

An increase in attachment to caregivers and differentiating of strangers is a significant development

during this stage. Allen and Marotz note that consistent care and meeting of the infant's needs support
the growth of a trusting relationship. Infants who display stranger anxiety during the later months of
this age range are demonstrating that strong attachment. An awareness of themselves as separate from
others is obvious at this stage, as is a willingness to be more outgoing and engaging. These infants are
very curious about their environment and are eager observers of what is going on around them.

8 to 12 Months

The developing physical strength of infants approaching the end of their first year enhances their
ability to discover their world and how things work. Parlakain and Lerner encourage parents to support
their infants in experimenting with cause and effect by having them ring doorbells or flip light switches
to see what happens. At this stage, infants want to be involved in family activities and prefer their
caregiver to be in sight at all times. The amounts of language they understand allows them follow simple
directions and comprehend when they are told no.

Moral Development

Infants fall into the preconventional level of moral development according to the theories of Lawrence
Kohlberg. This involves two orientations: punishment and pleasure seeking. Infants respond to their
environment primarily to seek pleasure and meet their needs. They show joy by smiling, cooing and
laughing when they are fed, comfortable and feeling safe. As they grow, they learn to make choices in
response to punishment, such as being told no or having an object taken from them. Meeting an infant's
basic needs through consistent care and positive social interactions simultaneously nurtures their moral
development and trust in their caregivers.