Core Sudies - Developmental Psychology - Kohlberg’s Study

Question 1

What is level 1 of moral reasoning

Answer 1

Preconventional

Question 2

What are the stages in level 1 moral reasoning

Answer 2

1. Punishment and obedience orientation
2. Instrumental-relativist orientation

Question 3

What is the moral reasoning shown in Level 1, Stage 1

Answer 3

Whatever leads to punishment is wrong, if you avoid punishment is good

Question 4

What moral reasoning is shown in Level 1, Stage 2

Answer 4

The right way to behave is the way that is rewarded

Question 5

What is level 2 of moral reasoning

Answer 5

Conventional

Question 6

What are the stages in level 2 moral reasoning

Answer 6

3. Good-boy, Good-girl orientation
4. Law and order orientation

Question 7

What moral reasoning is shown in Level 2, Stage 3

Answer 7

The right way to behave is to be seen as the good person by others; for approval from other people

Question 8

What moral reasoning is shown in Level 2, Stage 4

Answer 8

The right way to behave is to follow the wider rules of society, judgements concern obeying laws and avoiding guilt

Question 9

What is level 3 of moral reasoning

Answer 9

Post-conventional

Question 10

What are the stages in level 3 moral reasoning

Answer 10

5. Social contract orientation
6. Universal principles orientation

Question 11

What moral reasoning is shown in Level 3, Stage 5

Answer 11

The right way to behave is not always clear-cut; while rules and laws might exist for the good of society, there are times when rules must be broken as they don’t benefit certain individuals

Question 12

What moral reasoning is shown in Level 3, Stage 6

Answer 12

People at this stage have developed their own set of moral guidelines, which may or may not fit the law for example human rights, justice and equality. It takes account of likely views of everyone affected by a moral decision. People will be prepared to act to defend their principles even if it means going against the rest of society or facing consequences like imprisonment or disapproval

Question 13

Aim 1

Answer 13

To investigate the development in moral reasoning throughout adolescence and early adulthood

Question 14

Aim 2

Answer 14

To assess the extent to which these changes in moral reasoning hold true in a range of cultural contexts

Question 15

Research method

Answer 15

Longitudinal study and a cross-sectional study

Question 16

Sample

Answer 16

• 75 American boys
• Aged 10-16 at the start of the study
• Aged 22-28 at the end of the study
• They were followed at three year intervals
• Also studied boys from Great Britain, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico and Turkey

Question 17

Procedure for Aim 1

Answer 17

• American boys were presented with hypothetical moral dilemmas in the form of short stories all deliberately philosophical
• The stories were to determine the p’s stage of moral reasoning for each of the 25 moral concepts
• Each dilemma involved options with different moral applications, an once the p understood the dilemma they were asked what the character in the dilemma should do
• Aspects included a motive given for rule, obedience or moral action and the value of human life
  Example dilemmas included:
• Age 10: “Is it better to save the life of one important person or a lot of unimportant people?”
• Age 13,20 and 24: “Should the doctor ‘mercy kill, a fatally ill woman requesting death because of her pain?”

Question 18

What was an example of a moral dilemma presented to the boys at 10 years old

Answer 18

“Is it better to save the life of one important person or a lot of unimportant people?”

Question 19

What was an example of a moral dilemma presented to the boys at 13, 20 and 24 years old

Answer 19

“Should the doctor ‘mercy kill, a fatally ill woman requesting death because of her pain?”

Question 20

What aspects were included in the moral dilemmas

Answer 20

• A motive given for rule, obedience or moral action
• The value of human life

Question 21

Procedure Aim 2

Answer 21

• Taiwanese boys aged 10-13 were asked about a story involving theft of food. They were asked “A man’s wife is starving to death but the store owner won’t give the man any food unless he can pay, which he cant. Should he break in and steal some food? Why?”
• Young boys in Great Britain, Canada, Mexico and Turkey were also tested in a similar way

Question 22

What is a cross-sectional study

Answer 22

They compare different groups of p’s of different ages

Question 23

Result 1 for Aim 1

Answer 23

Based on p’s responses to the moral dilemmas at different ages, Kohlberg proposed that moral development went through a series of three levels and 6 stages. Each of the boys demonstrated each stage of moral reasoning and how values change as an individual progresses through the stages

Question 24

Result 2 for Aim 1

Answer 24

P’s progressed through the stages as they got older. Some p’s had not reached the final stage of moral development by the end of the study

Question 25

Result for Aim 2

Answer 25

At the age of 16, Stage 5 thinking was more prevalent in the USA than either Mexico or Taiwan - this stage was reached by p’s in these two countries at a later stage

Question 26

Conclusions

Answer 26

• There is an invariant developmental sequence in an individual’s moral development
• Each stage of moral development occurs one at a time and always in he same order
• There is a cultural universality of sequence of stages

Question 27

Key Finding

Answer 27

All boys develop in a fixed order, with the only difference in the development of morality being at age 16 where stage 5 thinking was more prevalent in the USA than in Mexico and Taiwan

Question 28

Link to Key Theme

Answer 28

This demonstrates that the development through the stages of morality is culturally universal, however the only difference is the rate at which each individual develops morality

Question 29

Link to Area

Answer 29

All boys developed through the stages of morality in a fixed order, demonstrating that a change in their biological stages of age (adolescence to early adulthood) is what led to other development through the stages of morality. However there was also a difference in morality as at age 16, stage 5 was more prevalent in the USA than in Mexico or Taiwan demonstrating that a change in cultural experiences will impact the rate at which boys develop though the stages of morality