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Values in Middle Childhood
In the past, researchers believed values develop during adolescence, as during this period youth acquire skills of abstract thinking and show increased interest in the general social world. However, recent research has established an astounding fact: children as young as six years of age can reliably report guiding motivations that are coherent and resemble the values of adults in many ways. We consider these motivations to be early values. This research project is aimed at learning how these motivations are similar to and different from later adult values. It also attempts to unravel the mechanisms leading to development in values during middle childhood. The project uses a variety of research methods, including qualitative and quantitative methods.

Parts of the project are funded by the Israeli Science Foundation grant "Value Development in Middle Childhood: The Role of Cognitive Factors and Value-Behavior Relations".
 

Values within the School Context
The project examines the role of schooling in the development of values. Schools are an important context in the life of children and youth. Within schools, they are exposed deliberately, and inadvertently, to value laden messages. These messages can be delivered by teachers, peers, but even physical and social structures and institutions. In the project, we investigate the role of different socialization agents within the school in the development of social values and social behaviors. We want to identify what values are learned in schools, and what are the mechanisms responsible for this process.

Development of Moral Behavior in Early Childhood
Disruptive and prosocial behavior in early childhood may be considered an early antecedent of morality in general and moral values specifically. It is crucial to study how both the person and the environment can influence these behaviors at an early age.

In this international research collaboration, Dr. Daniel is investigating alongside Dr. Jennifer Jenkins and researchers at the Developmental Psychopathology laboratory at the University of Toronto. The group is examining the role of parents, siblings, and biological risk factors in the development of moral behaviors. 

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