Kohlberg Moral Development Flashcards
(8 cards)
Kohlberg Aims
Investigate the development of moral reasoning in children in order to create a series of stages that could apply to all
Kohlberg Methodology
Longitudinal study over a period of 12 years
75 young American males were interviewed every 3 years
Aged 10-16 at the start and 22-28 at the end
Compared the males from the USA to those from Canada, the UK, Mexico, Turkey and Taiwan
Kohlberg Procedure
9 hypothetical moral dilemmas
Asked to decide on the correct course of action, and what the moral thing to do is
Conflict between two moral issues
Semi-structured interview as they discussed the issues then were asked specific open ended questions
Responses were analysed
Similar interview every 3 years and changes in moral reasoning were recorded
Compared findings with those from other cultures
Kohlberg Findings
Pre-conventional level: Based on actions and direct consequences, right and wrong are not understood
Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation- Ignored intentions behind a behaviour and focuses on obeying rules enforced by punishment
Stage 2: Instrumental purpose orientation- Children view their actions as ‘right’ if they satisfy their own needs
Conventional level: Morality assessed by comparing it with society’s views and expectations
Stage 3: Interpersonal cooperation- ‘Good boy - good girl’ orientation
Stage 4: The social order maintaining orientation- Defining what is right in terms of norms established by the larger social system
Postconventional level: Individuals are separate entities from society, morality is based on moral evaluation rather than societies rules
Stage 5: Social construct orientation- Laws are seen as relative and flexible
Stage 6: Universal ethical principles orientation- Morality is defined in terms of self-chosen abstract moral principles, laws usually conform to these principles but individual acts in accordance to their principles where this is not the case
Kohlberg Conclusions
Stages are invariant and universal
Some individuals may not reach the final stage
Children at a particular stage of development tend to move forward in their moral reasoning when confronted by the views of a child one stage along
S: One criticism of Kohlberg’s research is that it was not based on real life decisions (Gilligan)
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E: The moral dilemmas were hypothetical questions which may have made little sense, especially to young children
E: Gilligan’s own research involved interviewing people about their own moral dilemmas, such as the decision about whether to have an abortion. This is more valid because they are real life possibilities, not hypothetical scenarios so the people are more able to apply accurate decisions to the questions as they had more ecological validity.
W: Therefore, Kohlberg’s research lacks ecological validity and questions must be raised to the validity of the findings.
S: Another issue with this study is that the whole sample was males
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E: Gilligan suggested male and female morality are different, and male morality cannot be generalised to females
E: Gilligan found evidence that women seem to be more focused on care rather than justice when making moral decisions
W: This is a weakness because Kohlberg’s research was Androcentric and gender biased, this means it was restricted to only one type of morality
S: A strength of the research is that it was longitudinal
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E: The research was conducted over a 12 year time period
E: This is a strength because the data is more in-depth as differences in participants and developments can be observed and compared
C: However, a weakness of longitudinal research is that there are higher dropout rates, which stop participants from completing the research
W: Overall, a qualitative history and analysis of the children’s moral development can be evaluated, producing evidence for developmental stages which is a strength as it can provide reasoning for why individuals behaviour may differ.
