Kohlberg Flashcards
what area and perspective is kohlbergs study?
developmental
what is the aim of kohlbergs study?
- To investigate the development in moral reasoning throughout adolescence and early adulthood.
- To investigate the extent to which any developmental changes are shown in a variety of cultural context.
describe the method used in kohlbergs study
- longitudinal
- cross-sectional design
give a strength of a longitudinal study related to kohlbergs study
one strength of a longitudinal study is that participant variable are rulled out as they are the same participants
for example in kohlbergs study the same participants were interviewed after 12 years
this increases internal validity
give a weakness of a longitudinal study related to kohlbergs study
one weakness of a longitudinal study is participant attrition as only some people will be willing to co operate
this decreases population validity
describe stage theory
a structural approach to moral development
describe a moral dilemma
a hypothetical issue or problem that participant has to practice an answer to.
there is no right or wrong answer
describe the sample in kohlbergs study
- 75 american boys
- starting at the age 10-16 and then being re interviewed at the age of 22-28
- a period of 12 years
- cross sections of different age groups from mexico, tawain, malaysia, canada, uk, and turkey
what are the assumptions for the developmental area?
People change and develop with age and experience
Many of the biggest changes occur in childhood
Development may be social, cognitive or biological
Why do you think Kohlberg used a cross-sectional design for his cross-cultural comparisons?
Cross- sectional research allows the comparison of different groups of participants at one point in time.
Give examples of the kinds of questions Kohlberg used to assess level of morality.
Is it better to save the life of one important person than a lot of unimportant people?
What form did Kohlberg’s cross-cultural comparison take?
He presented the same dilemmas to young people of different ages in Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, Canada and the UK.
How did he determine which stage a child was in?
Each participant was seen as being in a particular stage when 50% of their responses to dilemmas fell neatly into that stage.
Not all children reached Stage 6. Why?
Kohlberg suggested that stages 5 and 6 may be alternative stages showing mature and moral reasoning.
name the two stages in the preconventional level
- orientation towards punishment and deference to power
- orientation towards self interest
