Cognitive Explanations

• What type of study did Kohlberg conduct?

  Longitudinal study
• What was the aim of Kohlberg's research?

  To discover changes in moral reasoning
• How long did Kohlberg's study last?

  Twenty years
• What was the age range of boys in Kohlberg's study?

  10-16 years
• How often were the boys followed up in Kohlberg's study?

  Every three years
• What method did Kohlberg use to gather data?

  Two-hour interviews based on dilemmas
• What did Kohlberg find about moral reasoning as children grew older?

  It tended to change with age
• How many distinct levels of moral reasoning did Kohlberg identify?

  Three distinct levels
• What is the order of progression through Kohlberg's levels?

  People progress in the listed order
• What happens to the reasoning of each stage in Kohlberg's model?

  Each stage replaces earlier stage reasoning
• Do all individuals achieve all stages in Kohlberg's model?

  No, not everyone achieves all stages
• What is the age range for Stage 1: Pre-conventional?

  Infancy and pre-school
• How is morality determined in Stage 1: Pre-conventional?

  By others' responses
• What is the focus of moral reasoning in Stage 1?

  Avoiding punishment or gaining rewards
• What is the orientation of Stage 1: Pre-conventional?

  Punishment and obedience orientation
• What is the second orientation in Stage 1?

  Instrumental hedonism orientation
• What is the age range for Stage 2: Conventional?

  School age
• What is the focus of moral reasoning in Stage 2?

  Conforming to societal rules
• What is the orientation of Stage 2: Conventional?

  Good boy/girl orientation
• What is the second orientation in Stage 2?

  Morality of authority and maintaining social order
• What is the age range for Stage 3: Post-conventional?

  Teens/adulthood
• What characterizes morality in Stage 3: Post-conventional?

  Evaluation of laws and individual rights
• What is the second characteristic of morality in Stage 3?

  Individual principles of conscience
• How does moral reasoning change from Stage 1 to Stage 3?

  It evolves from egocentric to abstract reasoning
• What link did Kohlberg suggest between moral development and offending behavior?

  Offenders often stagnate at pre-conventional level
• Why might a lack of moral maturity lead to criminal behavior?

  Offenders prioritize immediate needs over society
• What is an example of pre-conventional reasoning in criminal behavior?

  Committing crime to fulfill desires
• What do cognitive distortions refer to?

  Faulty maladaptive thinking
• How might information be perceived in cognitive distortions?

  In a distorted or hostile manner
• What does hostile attribution bias mean?

  Perceiving others' behavior negatively
• Cognitive Exp. AO3 - Support for Moral Development

  • Palmer and Hollin compared moral reasoning between female non-offenders, male non-offenders and convicted offenders using 11 moral dilemma-related questions
  • The delinquent group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non-delinquent group
  • This is consistent with Kohlberg’s predictions about offenders being classified at the pre-conventional level of moral reasoning, supporting his theory
• How does hostile attribution bias affect responses?

  Increases likelihood of aggressive responses
• What did Schonenberg et al. find about violent offenders?

  They judge ambiguous expressions as hostile
• At what age does hostile attribution bias begin?

  Starts in childhood
• What does minimization involve?

  Denial of the seriousness of actions
• How does minimization help individuals?

  It helps manage feelings of guilt
• What is an example of minimization in criminal behavior?

  A burglar downplaying the impact of theft
• What did Pollock and Hashmall find in their study?

  35% of child molesters minimized their actions
• What percentage of child molesters claimed the crime was non-sexual?

  35%
• What percentage of child molesters stated the victim had consented?

  36%