Young children’s self-regulation and the development of moral conduct

Early conscience represents an autonomous inner system guiding emotions, cognition, and behaviour (Kochanska & Aksan, 2006). Two key components of conscience are moral emotions and moral conduct (Aksan & Kochanska, 2005; Kochanska & Aksan, 2006). Both moral emotions and moral conduct are expected to have temperamental underpinnings. Fearfulness is expected to be an important predictor of moral emotions, whereas self-regulation is expected to be an important predictor of moral conduct (Kochanska, 1993; Kochanska & Aksan, 2006). In addition to temperament, socialization experiences of young children are expected to be of importance for the development of conscience. Kochanska (1993, 1997) developed a model in which temperament and socialization are proposed to interact in the prediction of conscience. Kochanka has studied this model by testing the interplay of fearfulness and socialization (Kochanska, 1997). However, little research has been conducted on the interplay of self-regulation and socialization.