Kohlberg et al - Paper 2

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

Investigate moral development
Find evidence to support Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

Question 2

Theory of moral development

Answer 2

Preconventional:
Stage 1 - avoiding punishment
Stage 2 - conforming to gain rewards
Conventional:
Stage 3 - conforming to avoid disapproval/be liked
Stage 4 - conforming to avoid displeasure of authority
Postconventional:
Stage 5 - behaving in a way that is agreed upon by society/ maintaining social respect
Stage 6 - conforming to one’s own ethical principles - acting to avoid self-condemnation

Question 3

Research method

Answer 3

Longitudinal study
Followed the same group of boys for 12 years
Cross cultural

Question 4

Sample

Answer 4

75 American boys aged 10 -16
Followed at 3 year intervals through to ages 22-28
Other boys in Taiwan, the UK, Canada, Mexico and Turkey tested

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

Ppts presented with hypothetical moral dilemmas and asked about:
-motive for obedience or moral decision
-value of human life
Latter assessed by asking aged 10 ppts “is it better to save the life of one important person or lots of unimportant people?” and asking aged 13,16, 20 and 24 year olds “Should the doctor mercy kill the woman requesting death due to her pain?”
Boys from outside US asked if a poor man should steal food for his starving wife and why

Question 6

Findings

Answer 6

Each of his 6 stages were found
In about 50% of each stage ppt’s thinking was in a single stage
Ppts showed progress through the stages with increased age and always in the same order
Not all ppts reached stage 6
A child at an earlier stage tends to to move forward when confronted with the views of a child one stage ahead

Question 7

Cross-cultural findings

Answer 7

No difference in development between different religions
Middle class children developed faster than lower class children
Middle class urban boys aged 10 from USA, Taiwan and Mexico showed the order of use of a stage was the same as the order of difficulty or maturity
By 16, stage 5 thinking more noticeable in USA than Mexico or Taiwan

Question 8

Conclusions

Answer 8

There is an invariant developmental sequence in moral development
Each stage comes one at a time and always in the same order, and development may stop at any stage
This sequence is not strongly affected by social, cultural or religious conditions - the only difference is the rate of progress