The relation of elementary-school children'sexternalizing behaviour to emotion attributions,evaluation of consequences, and moral reasoning

摘要

This study examined the relation of elementary-school children's exter-nalizing behaviour to emotion attributions, evaluation of consequences, andmoral reasoning. Externalizing behaviour was rated by the parents using theChild Behaviour Checklist (CBCL/ 4 –18). Moral development was assessedby three stories describing different types of rule violation and a moralconflict in friendship including obligations and self-interest. The childrenwere asked about the emotions they would attribute to the hypotheticalvictimizer (or protagonist) and the self-as-victimizer (or protagonist), theevaluation of the interpersonal consequences of the rule violation (or actiondecision) as well as their justifications. Boys who made selfish actiondecisions and attributed positive emotions to the protagonist of the moraldilemma displayed more externalizing behaviour than girls. Furthermore,boys with consistent moral (negative) emotion attributions to the self-as-victimizer across the rule violations showed less externalizing behaviourthan boys with inconsistent moral emotion attributions. Younger childrenwho anticipated negative interpersonal consequences of transgressionsdisplayed higher rates of externalizing behaviour than younger childrenwho anticipated less negative consequences. Moral reasons in the context of