Core study four-Kohlberg (developmental area)

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

Kohlberg looked at how other psychologists had thought about moral development before he created his own research.
He looked at the psychodynamic perspective which explains morals as a results of the superego (your conscience)
He looked at the behaviourist perspective which would say that people learn morals through their parents (e.g. bad behaviours get punished and good deeds are rewarded; or through observation and imitation of parents as role models).
Kohlberg based his theory of moral development on Piaget’s (A Swiss psychologist who said the children’s thinking (including morals) develops in stages), initial findings:
He said that in the 1st stage of moral development, children can’t see the world from anyone else’s point of view. If someone accidentally breaks a window, it is always wrong. They are unable to take into account the intention behind the act – only the consequences (Heteronomous Moral Reasoning).
However Piaget said that from age 8 children begins to understand that morals are more complex and that there are ‘grey areas’ of right and wrong (Autonomous Moral Reasoning).

Question 2

Heteronomous Moral Reasoning

Answer 2

weighs the outcome of the action to determine how bad it is.

Question 3

Autonomous Moral Reasoning

Answer 3

takes into account the intent of the person committing the action.

Question 4

Aim

Answer 4

Kohlberg wanted to provide research that would back up his theory of moral development inspired by Piaget.

Question 5

USA Sample

Answer 5

75 boys aged 10-16 until they were 22-28 years of age (he followed the same boys for 12 years)

Question 6

Procedure

Answer 6

Kohlberg studied 75 American boys for 12 years (this is called a Longitudinal study)
When they started the research they were between 10 and 16 years old.
When they finished they were between 22 and 28 years old.
Every boy was presented with hypothetical moral dilemmas ( for example the Heinz dilemma) every 3 years during this time.
Using the answers the boys gave, Kohlberg ranked them in six categories (1 being the least morally developed to 6 – most morally developed)
This formed his theory of stages of moral development.

Question 7

Longitudinal

Answer 7

A research method that follows a number of participants over an extended period of time.

Question 8

Strength of longitudinal

Answer 8

As follows the same participants over time reduces the effects of participant variables

Can show development of individuals and how these differ by gender, culture, environment etc

A large amount of detailed qualitative and quantitative data can be collected

Researchers can see the precise moments when children change

Question 9

Weaknesses of longitudinal

Answer 9

It takes a long time before all the results are in which may limit the replicability of the study and can make it expensive

Attrition (when participants drop out of the study) is a particular problem, especially if key participants are lost from the study.

Researchers can get emotionally attached to their participants, meaning they can lose objectivity

Demand characteristics may be a problem as participants work out what the researchers is looking for and adjust their behaviour accordingly

It is likely to be done with a relatively small sample, meaning results can be distorted by anomalous (atypical) individuals within the cohort being studied.

Question 10

Other Samples (cross-cultural)

Answer 10

Kohlberg repeated the study on boys from Taiwan, Turkey, Mexico, Malaysia, Canada and the UK

Question 11

Cross Cultural Research

Answer 11

When research is conducted in several different cultures.

Question 12

Strengths of cross cultural

Answer 12

Reduces ethnocentrism
Comparisons can be made to help generalize the results

Question 13

Weaknesses of cross cultural

Answer 13

Effort and time to conduct
Same procedure often not appropriate for different cultures

Question 14

Pre-conventional level -

Answer 14

People (usually children) are well behaved but only because of the physical consequences to them of being good or bad. If there is no-one there to judge them, they are likely to be naughty.

Question 15

Stage one

Answer 15

Orientation towards punishment
You listen to rules to avoid being punished.
“If I steal that textbook I could get in serious trouble”

Question 16

Stage two

Answer 16

Orientation towards self-interest
You behave in a way that best benefits yourself (to obtain rewards/have favors returned/etc.)
“Stealing that textbook would make it easier for me to do my homework so I’ll take it.”

Question 17

Conventional level

Answer 17

people conform to the social norms and expectations of their family, social group or nation. Rules must be followed.

Question 18

Stage three

Answer 18

‘Good boy’ and ‘Good girl’ orientation
You worry about what other people will think about you. Want to be seen as good.
“Will my friends care if I steal that textbook?”

Question 19

Stage four

Answer 19

Orientation towards authority

You think about what’s best for society rather than yourself. You follow rules and laws and see them as really important.

“If I take that textbook, other people won’t be able to use it in class”

Question 20

Post-conventional level

Answer 20

people set their own personal moral principles which may differ from those of their social group.

Question 21

Stage five

Answer 21

Social contract orientation

You understand that morals and laws are changeable over time and across cultures. What will benefit most people in the long term?

“If I take a textbook, some people may not do as well in their studies, they won’t get to university, learn and then use that learning to help others in the future”

Question 22

Stage six

Answer 22

Universal ethical principles

You are capable of very abstract moral thinking (based on universal rules and can take into account all possible positions a person might make when making a moral decision. You ACT on your own morals.

“Education is vitally important and by taking the textbook I am denying someone’s right to education

Question 23

Kohlberg conclusions

Answer 23

People’s moral development follows an invariant developmental sequence

This means everyone, regardless of culture, social background or religion moves through the same 6 stages in the same order.
They never skip a stage or move backwards through the stages (although not everyone reaches the last stage).

Question 24

External reliability:

Answer 24

The fact that Kohlberg conducted his research on a relatively large sample (the 75 American boys and participants from other countries too) meant that he was not just seeing fluke, ‘one-off’ results.

However, Kohlberg’s research was conducted in the 1950s and 1960s, and it is arguable both that the world is quite a different place now and that parenting styles may have changed since then. It would need to be established that Kohlberg’s findings are still valid today

Question 25

Internal reliability

Answer 25

He also had a standardised procedure in which he presented the same moral dilemmas to different participants, along with the same questions for them to answer.

Question 26

Internal validity( construct):

Answer 26

It could be that the dilemmas which Kohlberg used are not testing moral development, but maybe linguistic understanding, or intelligence. This would reduce the validity.

There are some other factors which might affect the validity, such as extraneous variables, and it could be factors such as upbringing, socio-economic status or education which actually influence moral development, not the invariant nature of the stages themselves.

Asking any participant to report on their thoughts or behaviour is leaving the data open to reduced validity, as there is the chance of demand characteristics or social desirability especially since they knew the aim of the study.

Question 27

External validity:

Answer 27

Population vaidity:
- Wide range of cultures used so generalisable to other places
-Only male participants used so not be generalised to other genders

Ecological validity: Giving participants hypothetical moral dilemmas could lack ecological validity as how people say they would act in a given situation may be very different from how they actually would act if they found themselves in that situation.

Question 28

Ethnocentric:

Answer 28

Ethnocentric weaknesses: Kohlberg was accused of cultural bias as assumed moral development would be the same for everyone based just off the US sample.

Ethnocentric strengths: He did however repeat the study in several other places (Taiwan, Turkey, Mexico, Malaysia, Canada and UK) and found similar results.

Question 29

Ethics

Answer 29

Ethics broken: Harm may have been experienced through being given troubling dilemmas

Ethical advantages:
Consent was gained by the boys every 3 years
Had the right to withdraw every 3 years by not answering questions
The names of participants were left confidential
Participants knew the true aim of the study and were not lied to (deception was kept)

Question 30

How does Kohlberg link to developmental area

Answer 30

Kohlberg’s study explains how someone’s morality changes over their lifetime in an invariant developmental sequence that is universal.

Question 31

Strengths of developmental area

Answer 31

often large sample sizes
often uses longitudinal research so we can see people develop
often has standardised procedures

Question 32

Weaknesses of developmental

Answer 32

often uses children (which can bring up ethical issues)
research is often time consuming
research often lacks ecological validity
research is often ethnocentric as parenting varies per culture

Question 33

Defining principle of developmental area

Answer 33

Behaviour develops over time throughout life. Upbringing affects adult behaviour.