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Li B, Tsou YT, Stockmann L, Greaves-Lord K, Rieffe C. See the self through others' eyes: The development of moral emotions in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:1108-1118. [PMID: 34689849 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Despite the important social functions of moral emotions, they are understudied in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. This three-wave longitudinal study is among the first to examine the development of moral emotions and their associations with theory of mind in 3- to 7-year-old children with ASD, using observational tasks. One hundred and forty-two children (52 with ASD) were followed over a period of 2 years. We found that while the expressions of shame and guilt remained stable in non-ASD children, they decreased with age in children with ASD. No group differences were found in the levels or the developmental trajectories of pride. Besides, better false-belief understanding was uniquely related to the expressions of pride in children with ASD. Our findings highlight the importance of enhancing understanding of moral emotion development and related factors in children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boya Li
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yung-Ting Tsou
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lex Stockmann
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kirstin Greaves-Lord
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Carolien Rieffe
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Media Interaction, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
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Dempsey EE, Moore C, Johnson SA, Stewart SH, Smith IM. Moral Foundations Theory Among Autistic and Neurotypical Children. Front Psychol 2022; 12:782610. [PMID: 35095668 PMCID: PMC8795511 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.782610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Morality can help guide behavior and facilitate relationships. Although moral judgments by autistic people are similar to neurotypical individuals, many researchers argue that subtle differences signify deficits in autistic individuals. Moral foundation theory describes moral judgments in terms of differences rather than deficits. The current research, aimed at assessing autistic individuals' moral inclinations using Haidt's framework, was co-designed with autistic community members. Our aim was to describe autistic moral thinking from a strengths-based perspective while acknowledging differences that may pose interpersonal challenges among autistic youth. We assessed 25 autistic and 23 neurotypical children's moral judgments using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire for Kids. We used semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis with a subset of participants to describe children's moral reasoning. Analyses suggested that autistic and neurotypical children make similar judgments about moral transgressions across all five moral foundations. General linear mixed modeling showed that the greatest predictor of recommending punishment was how bad children deemed moral transgressions to be. We also found a trend that autistic children were more likely to recommend punishment for harmless norms violations than were neurotypical children. Future research could use longitudinal methods to understand the development of moral judgments among autistic and neurotypical children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Moore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Shannon A. Johnson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Sherry H. Stewart
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Isabel M. Smith
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Autism Research Centre, IWK Health, Halifax, NS, Canada
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Garcia-Molina I, Clemente-Estevan RA, Andrés-Roqueta C. Investigating moral judgements in autistic children: integrating the observer’s and the speaker’s mind. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2020.1856120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Garcia-Molina
- Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva, Educativa, Social y Metodología, Universitat Jaume I de Castelló, Castellón, Spain
| | - Rosa-Ana Clemente-Estevan
- Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva, Educativa, Social y Metodología, Universitat Jaume I de Castelló, Castellón, Spain
| | - Clara Andrés-Roqueta
- Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva, Educativa, Social y Metodología, Universitat Jaume I de Castelló, Castellón, Spain
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