kohlberg

• What was the background?

  Piaget's theory of moral development
• What was the aim?


  To investigate evidence to support Kohlberg's theory of moral development

  The theory was

  1. Pre-conventional

  - Punishment- obedience orientation

  - Instrumental-relativist orientation

  2. Conventional

  - Good boy- good girl orientation

  - Law and order orientation

  3. Post-conventional

  -social contract orientation

  - Universal principles orientation
• What was the sample?


  75 American boys

  studied for 12 years

  from ages 10-16 to 22-28

  Also boys of different ages from the UK, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey
• What was the method?


  Longitudinal study

  using interviews to collect data

  Also a cross-cultural study (UK, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey)
• What was the procedure?


  Done over 12 years

  Every 3 years all the boys were presented with a moral dilemma

  The moral dilemmas were based on 25 moral concepts

  Questions such as "Is it better to save the life of one important person or a lot of unimportant people?"

  Kohlberg extended this to the UK, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey by asking boys of different ages moral dilemmas
• What were the results?


  Based on ppnts answers, Kohlberg proved that we go through 3 stages of moral development

  Not all reasoning fit into the stages (50% fit neatly)
• What were the conclusions?


  Children, adolescents and young adults all go through the same 3 stages of moral development (pre-conventional, conventional, post-conventional) with 6 stages

  Although the rate of moral development is different, people in different cultures will still go through the same moral development.