Cognitive Explanations (Levels of Moral Reasoning)

Question 1

How can levels of moral reasoning link to crime?

Answer 1

Lower levels of moral reasoning (the way we think about and justify crime/obedience) may mean some individuals are more likely to commit crimes

Question 2

Who created the Heinz Dilemma?

Answer 2

Kohlberg

Question 3

Give a brief verbal summary of the Heinz Dilemma

Answer 3

Woman dying from illness, husband couldn’t afford medicine. Doctor who discovered it charging 10x the cost of making it. Various scenarios asked as to what Heinz (husband) should do.

Question 4

Kohlberg investigated LOMR giving various moral dilemmas- what was the sample he used to investigate?

Answer 4

A longitudinal study of 75 american males from age 10-16 until age 22-28
Compared the males from the USA to those from Canada, the UK, Mexico, Turkey and Taiwan.

Question 5

What are some examples of the moral dilemmas given in Kohlbergs research?

Answer 5

“Is it better to save the life of one important person or a lot of unimportant people?”and at ages 13, 16, 20 and 24: “Should the doctor ‘mercy kill’ a fatally ill woman requesting death because of her pain?”

Question 6

What is the first level of Kohlberg’s Moral Stages and what age?

Answer 6

Pre-conventional (up to age 9)

Question 7

What two stages occur during the pre-conventional stage?

Answer 7

Punishment and obedience.

Instrumental-Relativist.

Question 8

Within the pre-conventional stage of LOMR what happens during punishment and obedience?

Answer 8

Right and wrong defined by what you are punished for.

Question 9

Within the pre-conventional stage of LOMR what happens during the Instrumental-Relativist?

Answer 9

Similar as punishment and obedience but right and wrong is now determined by what we are rewarded for and by doing what others want.
Motivated by selfishness.

Question 10

What is the second level of Kohlberg’s Moral Stages and what age?

Answer 10

Conventional (most adolescents and adults)

Question 11

What two stages occur during the conventional level of moral reasoning?

Answer 11

interpersonal concordance and law and order

Question 12

Within the conventional level of moral reasoning, what is interpersonal concordance?

Answer 12

Being good is whatever pleases others.
The child adopts a conformist attitude to morality.
Right and wrong determined by majority.

Question 13

Within the conventional level of moral reasoning, what is law and order?

Answer 13

Being good now means doing your duty to society.
We obey laws without question and show a respect for authority.

Question 14

What is the third level of Kohlberg’s Moral Stages and what age?

Answer 14

Post conventional
0-15% of over 20s

Question 15

What two stages occur during the Post conventional level of moral reasoning?

Answer 15

Social Contract
Universal Ethical Principle

Question 16

What happens during the post conventional level: social contract?

Answer 16

Right and wrong determined by personal values.
These can be over ridden by democratically agreed laws.
When laws infringe our own sense of justice we tend to ignore them.

Question 17

What happens during the post conventional level: universal ethical principle?

Answer 17

We live in accordance with deeply held moral principles, seen as more important than the laws of the land.

Question 18

In Kohlberg’s LOMR, where would we expect a criminal to be and why?

Answer 18

Pre-conventional- adopt an immature child-like way of thinking, may commit a crime if they think they can get away with it/reap the rewards.

Question 19

Is there any research to support the idea that criminals are likely to be in the pre-conventional level of moral development?

Answer 19

Interview of incarcerated sex and non-sex offenders found none of the offenders possessed a high level of morality (Asher and Kenny, 2007)

Question 20

What cultural variations were there of moral reasoning in Taiwanese Boys aged 10-13?

Answer 20

Tended to give ‘classic’ Stage-2 responses.

Question 21

What cultural variations were there of moral reasoning in 16 year old Americans?

Answer 21

had rarely advanced to stage 6 and at age 13 stage 3 had not been used.

Question 22

How did middle and lower class children differ on moral reasoning?

Answer 22

Middle-class children were found to be more advanced in moral judgement than matched lower-class children.

Question 23

Why is Kohlberg’s LOMR theory useful?

Answer 23

provides insight into the mechanics of the criminal mind - that offenders may be more childlike and egocentric when it comes to making moral judgements than the law-abiding majority.

Question 24

What does egocentric mean, why might criminals be more egocentric?

Answer 24

Only seeing something from their own viewpoint- as they aren’t seeing the victims perspective.

Question 25

Does Kohlberg’s LOMR theory apply to all crimes?

Answer 25

people who committed crimes for financial gain (e.g. robbery) were more likely to show pre-conventional moral reasoning than those convicted of impulsive crimes (e.g. assault).