Psychological Explanations Of Offending Behaviour: Kohlberg’s Cognitive Explanation

Question 1

What did Kohlberg propose?

Answer 1

A stage theory of moral development in which some individuals do not progress past certain levels

Question 2

How did Kohlberg create his Levels of Moral Reasoning?

Answer 2

Based on people’s responses to a series of moral dilemmas, such as the Heinz dilema

Question 3

How many levels and stages are in Kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 3

3 levels and 6 stages

Question 4

What do cognitive explanations suggest?

Answer 4

That there are ways of thinking about the world and moral decisions that lead to offending behaviour

Question 5

What is the first level of Kohlberg’s Levels of moral reasoning?

Answer 5

Pre-conventional level

Question 6

What is stage 1 of Kohlberg’s Levels of moral reasoning?

Answer 6

Punishment orientation - correct behaviour is whatever will help someone to avoid punishment, so criminal behaviour will happen if they feel they can get away with the crime

Question 7

What is stage 2 of Kohlberg’s Levels Of Moral Reasoning?

Answer 7

Reward orientation - correct behaviour is whatever will be most rewarding, so criminal behaviour will happen if they feel the reward outweighs the risk

Question 8

What level of moral reasoning are criminals most likely to be at?

Answer 8

Pre-conventional

Question 9

What is the second level of Kohlberg’s Levels Of Moral Reasoning?

Answer 9

Conventional

Question 10

What is stage 3 of Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning?

Answer 10

Good boy/girl orientation - doing whatever will gain approval from wider society

Question 11

What is stage 4 of Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning?

Answer 11

Law and order orientation - doing what is right because it is your duty to follow the law and maintain social order

Question 12

What level did Kohlberg say that most of society is at?

Answer 12

Conventional

Question 13

What is the 3rd level of Kohlberg’s Levels Of Moral Reasoning?

Answer 13

Post-conventional

Question 14

What are stages 5 & 6 of Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning?

Answer 14

Social contract orientation and Universal ethical principles orientation

Question 15

What was the sample of Kohlberg’s study of the Heinz dilemma?

Answer 15

72 Chicago boys, aged 10-16
58 of whom were followed up at 3-yearly intervals for 20 years

Question 16

What did Kohlberg find from his Heinz dilemma study?

Answer 16

That a group of violent youths were significantly lower in their moral development than non-violent youths — even after controlling for social background

Question 17

What did Kohlberg conclude from his Heinz dilemma study?

Answer 17

Criminal offenders are more likely to be classed at the pre-conventional level whereas non-criminals have generally progressed to the conventional level and beyond.

Question 18

What is the pre-conventional level characterised by?

Answer 18

A need to avoid punishment and gain rewards, and is associated with less mature, childlike reasoning (i.e. someone at this level may commit a crime if they can ‘get away with it’ and/or gain rewards in the form of money, respect, etc.)

Question 19

Why does Chandler (1973) support Kohlberg’s assumptions?

Answer 19

Findings suggest that offenders are more egocentric and display poorer social perspective-taking skills than non-offender peers

Question 20

How would people at high levels of moral reasoning be described?

Answer 20

As being able to sympathise more with the rights of others and exhibiting more conventional behaviours (e.g. honesty, generosity & non-violence)

Question 21

What is a strength of Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning? (Supporting evidence)

Answer 21

Palmer and Hollin (1998) — compared the moral reasoning abilities of 126 male convicted offenders with 122 male non-offenders — found that male offenders had significantly poorer moral reasoning compared to the male non-offenders — supports idea that underdeveloped moral reasoning contributes to criminal behaviour

Question 22

What is a limitation of Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning? (Beta bias)

Answer 22

Levels are based entirely on data from men and generalised to all - it has since been found that female criminals have different development of moral reasoning to men - Kohlberg’s levels not valid when applied to female criminal behaviour