Considering Moral Foundations Theory and the Model of Intuitive Morality and Exemplars in the context of child and adolescent development

Abstract

ABSTRACT Theorizing posits that moral judgment and reasoning stem from intuitions from at least one of six cognitive moral modules. Research has examined how media exposure influences aspects of moral development among children and adolescents. These lines of research remain largely unintegrated, however, and extant theories lack an explicit developmental perspective. We argue that Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) is a useful tool for contextualizing past findings and thus review the extant literature in this area. Secondly, we integrate developmental theory with MFT and the Model of Intuitive Morality and Exemplars. This paper will help researchers to understand how human development and media use interact to influence moral module salience, with implications for understanding effects of exposure on children and adolescents.