Kohlberg

Question 1

oKey theme + area

Answer 1

Key theme = moral development
Area = developmental

Question 2

Background

Answer 2

We are abnormal at birth
Lacking any system of personal values
Morality is defined as principles for how individuals ought to treat others

Question 3

Aim

Answer 3

To investigate moral development from ages 10 to 28

Question 4

Stages of moral development

Answer 4

1. Pre - conventional:
   > punishment + obedience orientation
   > instrumental-relativist orientation
2. Conventional:
   > good boy-good girl orientation
   > law + order orientation
3. Post conventional:
   > social contract orientation
   > universal principles orientation

Question 5

Research method

Answer 5

Longitudinal study (12 years)
Self report (2hour interview with 10 dilemmas)
Cross-cultural study

Question 6

Sample

Answer 6

75 American boys aged 10-16
Followed at 3 year intervals until 22-28
Boys also studied in UK, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico + turkey

Question 7

Procedure

Answer 7

Ppts presented with dilemmas to determine ppts stage of moral reasoning for 25 moral concepts
Aspects assessed = value of human life
Different cultures asked about a story involving theft of food

Question 8

Results

Answer 8

50% of ppts thinking at a singular stage, ppts showed progress through stages with age
Not all ppts reached stage 6
Ppts progressed through stages one at a time + in same order
Ppts tended to move forwards to next stage when confronted with view of a child one stage further along

Question 9

Conclusion

Answer 9

-there is invariant development sequence in each individuals moral development
-each stage of moral development comes one at a time + always in the same order
-individual may stop at any age or stage
-moral development fits with Kohlberg’s stage-pattern theory
-is a cultural universality to the sequence of stages
-middle class + working class children move through same sequence but middle class faster + further than working class
-stage 6 is not significantly affected by social, cultural or religious conditions. only thing that is affected is rate at which individuals progress through sequence

Question 10

cross-cultural results

Answer 10

Mexico + Taiwan showed same results except that development was slower in USA
at 16, stage 5 thinking more common in US than Mexico + Taiwan
results for 2 remote villages (Mexico + Turkey) showed more moral thought increased steadily from 10-16
in 3 divergent cultures, middle-class children were found to be more advanced advanced in moral judgment
no differences found between religions