Component 2: Kholberg (Developmental)

Question 1

What was Kholberg’s study for?

Answer 1

Moral reasoning

Question 2

What is the background to Kholberg’s study?

Answer 2

Main theories of moral development: Freud’s psychoanalytical theroy, B.F Skinners behaviourist theory and Sean Piagets theory of cognitive development
Piaget - amoral before 4 years of age, heteronomous morality (4-7) where children view rules as sacred, fixed and unchanging, autonomous stage (10 plus) children recognise rules as created by people and can be challenged.

Question 3

What were the hypothesis/aims of Kholberg’s study?

Answer 3

1. Kholberg aimed to gather evidence to support his theory of moral developmement
2. To investigate the development in moral reasoning throughout adolescence and early adulthood

Question 4

Describe the sample of Kholberg’s study.

Answer 4

75 American boys aged 10-16 at the start, followed up every three years until 22-28.
They were a cross-cultural sample - boys from Great Britain, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico and Turkey

Question 5

What was the research method of Kholberg’s study?

Answer 5

Longitudinal study - followed the same group of boys for 12 years
Cross-cultural study
Quasi experiment (IV- age, culture, DV - Stage of developmennt
Data was gathered via semi-structured interviews)

Question 6

What was the procedure of Kholberg’s study?

Answer 6

1. Hypothetical moral dilemmas to solve in the form of short stories
2. This was to determine the stage of moral reasoning according to the 25 moral concepts e.g. value of human life
3. Aged 10 - “is it better to save the life of one important person or lots of unimportant people?”
4. Aged 13, 16 and 20 - “Should the doctor mercy kill an ill woman who has requested death because of the pain?” (American sample)
5. Cross-cultural sample
   Moral concept - theft of food
6. Aged 10-13 - “A man’s wife is starving to death but the store owner won’t give him food unless he pays, which he can’t. Should he break in and steal some food? Why?”

Question 7

What were the results of Kholberg study?

Question 8

What were the conclusions of Kholberg’s study?

Answer 8

1. Each stage of moral development comes one at a time and always in the same order
2. An individual may stop at any stage and any age
3. Middle-class and woeking class move through the same sequence but middle-class children move faster and further.