Development area: Kohlberg

Question 1

What did Kohlberg base his theory about stages of moral development on?

Answer 1

Piaget’s ideas about how children around the age of 9/10 understand that intentions are more important than the consequences

Question 2

What was Kohlberg’s aim?

Answer 2

To provide evidence for his stage theory of moral development from childhood into adulthood and to see if some basic stages are universal

Question 3

What research method did Kohlberg use?

Answer 3

Self report, longitudinal

Question 4

How was Kohlberg’s study longitudinal?

Answer 4

Because he interviewed the boys every 3 years for 12 years

Question 5

Describe the sample used in Kohlberg’s study

Answer 5

75 boys from middle and lower class families in Chicago aged 10-16, he later extended this sample to other american cities and countries

Question 6

What did Kohlberg give to the boys every 3 years?

Answer 6

Hypothetical dilemmas

Question 7

What was then recorded about the boys’ answers to the dilemma’s?

Answer 7

The reasons behind their answer

Question 8

What are 2 strengths of longitudinal studies?

Answer 8

Easy to compare differences over time

Reduces individual differences as same P’s are used

Question 9

What are 2 weaknesses of longitudinal studies?

Answer 9

Loss of P’s

May be costly/difficult to track P’s

Question 10

What other places around the world did Kohlberg collect data in?

Answer 10

Great Britain, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey

Question 11

Why did Kohlberg make the effort to collect data in these different countries?

Answer 11

As moral values may vary across cultures and by doing this he could avoid the study being ethnocentric

Question 12

Give 2 strengths of cross cultural research

Answer 12

Helps avoid ethnocentrism

Helps researchers to identify flaws in their work

Question 13

Give 2 weaknesses of cross cultural research

Answer 13

Can be difficult to avoid cultural bias
Practical difficulties (e.g. language, misuse of research)

Question 14

What is level one of the stage theory? (age?)

Answer 14

Pre-conventional morality (4-10 yrs)

Question 15

What is stage 1?

Answer 15

Obedience orientation

Question 16

What is the general idea of obedience orientation?

Answer 16

That rules are fixed and therefore we must follow them in order to avoid punishment

Question 17

What is stage 2?

Answer 17

Self-interest orientation

Question 18

What is the general idea of self-interest orientation?

Answer 18

That decisions are made on the principle of ‘what’s in it for me?’

Question 19

What is level two of the stage theory?

Answer 19

Conventional morality

Question 20

What is stage 3?

Answer 20

Social conformity orientation

Question 21

What is the general idea of social conformity orientation?

Answer 21

That there is a sense of what ‘good boys’ and ‘nice girls’ do

Question 22

What is stage 4?

Answer 22

Law and order orientation

Question 23

What is the general idea of law and order orientation?

Answer 23

To maintain law and order by following the rules, doing one’s duty and respecting authority

Question 24

What is level 3 of the stage theory?

Answer 24

Post-conventional morality

Question 25

What is stage 5?

Answer 25

Social contract orientation

Question 26

What is the general idea of social contract orientation?

Answer 26

People understand what is right and wrong and sometimes will disobey rules if they find them to be inconsistent with their personal values

Question 27

What is stage 6?

Answer 27

Universal ethics orientation

Question 28

What is the general idea of universal ethics orientation?

Answer 28

It is based on abstract reasoning and the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes and people at this stage will have a principled conscience

Question 29

Kohlberg concluded that the stages follow an ‘invariant developmental sequence’, what does this mean?

Answer 29

That they come one at a time and always in the same order

Question 30

Conclusion 2: ‘All movement is forward in sequence, ________’

Answer 30

and does not skip steps

Question 31

(Conclusion) Is the sequence affected by varying social, cultural or religious conditions?

Answer 31

No - it is universal

Question 32

Was Kohlberg’s study internally reliable? (Standardised and replicable)

Answer 32

Yes - p’s were given the same moral dilemma’s and the same questions to answer

Question 33

Was Kohlberg’s study externally reliable? ( Large sample to show consistent effect)

Answer 33

Yes - 75 boys from USA and p’s from other cultures means no one-off results

Question 34

Did Kohlberg’s study have construct validity? (Was it an accurate measure of moral development)

Answer 34

It may have been testing linguistic understand or intelligence rather than solely measuring ‘moral development’

Question 35

Was Kohlberg’s study externally valid? (Can the sample be generalised from?)

Answer 35

No - only males were used so therefore is biased against women

Question 36

Was Kohlberg’s study ecologically valid?

Answer 36

No because people may behave differently to what they say they would do

Question 37

Which ethics could it be argued that Kohlberg did not uphold?

Answer 37

Debrief - had to wait for 12 years

Protection from harm - mild emotional stress caused through the scenarios