Cognitive Interaction and the Development of Sociality: A Commentary on Damon and Killen

• Published in: Merrill-Palmer Quarterly Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 369 - 378
• Main Author: Broughton, John M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wayne State University Press 01-07-1982
• Subjects: Conceptual frameworks; Developmental psychology; Discourse; Interpersonal interaction; Kohlbergs stages of moral development; Moral development; Moral judgment; Pretests; RESEARCH REPORTS; Social interaction; Sociality
• ISSN: 0272-930X; 1535-0266

This commentary on the study by Damon and Killen (Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 1982, 28, 347–367) points out that the methodological difficulties of examining spontaneous moral discussions have led to the appropriation of a dyadic social-cognitive conflict paradigm that focuses on dialogic interaction. The latter method has been empirically productive in the elucidation of possible social mechanisms of cognitive development, but different studies have yielded varying results. The discrepancies may be attributed to a variety of factors having to do with subjects, topics of conversation, procedures, and methodological conventions. However, the absence of simple, general trends may also be evidence of interindividual variations in interpretive processes. It is also suggested that contrived dyadic interaction settings may reflect the ideological conceptions of interpersonal relatedness that psychologists tend to promote, rather than tapping the development of genuine sociality.