Jerome, 6, and Hani, 10, get up early on Saturday morning to make "breakfast in bed" for their mother. While reaching for the bed tray in the back of the hall cabinet, they accidentally break their mother's favorite porcelain doll. Jerome knows that he's going to get into "big trouble." Hani tells him not to worry and that their mom would understand that it was an accident. In what stage would Jean Piaget categorize the moral reasoning of Jerome and Hani?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory of moral development, young children are in the heteronomous morality stage, where rules are rigid and handed down by authorities. However, around age 10, children enter the autonomous morality stage, where they understand that rules are made by people and can be changed if necessary. Therefore, Jerome's moral reasoning would fall under the heteronomous stage while Hani's would fall under the autonomous stage. Hani displays an understanding that their mother may forgive them because it was an accident, whereas Jerome's immediate reaction is fear of punishment, suggesting a less developed sense of moral reasoning.

Jerome, 6, and Hani, 10, Get Up Early on Saturday