This study contributes to a developmental approach focusing on emotions as being of key significance in explaining the Happy Victimizer pattern (HV pattern) among adults. Based on findings from our own research on moral emotions within the Happy Victimizer paradigm, we claim that a purely cognitive approach to explain the HV is overly narrow.…

The moral reasoning development of college freshmen was investigated over the course of a semester. Participants were tested at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester and were either in a course that required active engagement in critical thinking (e.g. perspective-taking, reflection) about social and political issues or in a…

The ability of a group of adults with high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) to distinguish moral, conventional and disgust transgressions was investigated using a set of six transgression scenarios, each of which was followed by questions about permissibility, seriousness, authority contingency and justification. The results…

In order to unify two major theories of moral judgment, a novel task is employed which combines elements of Kohlberg's stage theory and of the theory of information integration. In contrast to the format of Kohlberg's moral judgment interview, a nonverbal and quantitative response which makes low demands on verbal facility was used. Moral…

Traditional theories of moral development emphasize the role of controlled cognition in mature moral judgment, while a more recent trend emphasizes intuitive and emotional processes. Here we test a dual-process theory synthesizing these perspectives. More specifically, our theory associates utilitarian moral judgment (approving of harmful actions…

The nature of the developmental shift from adolescence to adulthood has been of ongoing interest to researchers studying the development of socio-moral cognition from within the "cognitive-developmental" paradigm. This paper identifies three dimensions along which developmental changes in socio-moral cognition occur during late…

Children's increasing use of intentions and motives and decreasing use of outcomes to morally evaluate action are perhaps the most researched phenomena in moral cognition. However, relatively little is known about the acquisition of the ability to make moral evaluations and the processes involved. Based on the assumption that children's…

Examined role of age and education in adult moral reasoning. Interviewed 195 adults between ages of 19 and 82 using standard Kohlberg moral dilemmas. Subjects' education levels ranged from 3 to 25 years. Found no overall significant effect for age, no significant effect for gender, and significant effect for education. (Author/NB)

Influence of motive-outcome valence matching and outcome foreseeability on perception of intentionality and moral judgments were compared. Preschool children and adult subjects were asked directly to make attributions of intentionality to and a moral judgment of the 21 story characters. Findings suggest that outcome foreseeability significantly…

Comments on revision of Piagetian theory of reciprocity in forgiveness by Enright (PS 522 365) in this issue. Reviews relationship of Enright theory to previous research. Suggests that forgiveness may require moral insights in addition to reciprocity, but reciprocity appears central to children's and adults' understanding of forgiveness. Provides…

Proposes a cognitive mechanism that makes forgiveness possible. Revises Piaget's theory that ideal reciprocity is the underlying cognitive operation that makes understanding and appreciation of forgiveness possible. Draws on modern philosophical inquiry, empirical study, and theory to argue instead that abstract identity provides--philosophically…

A study compared moral reasoning patterns of 17 violent children (ages 10-13) with emotional and behavioral disorders and their aggressive parents to matched controls. When presented with family and peer violence scenarios, the violent children and parents referred more to rules prohibiting provocation rather than to rules prohibiting physical…

In an attempt to understand human aggressive behavior, psychologists have explored and emphasized variables related to the aggressor, the victim, and the situation, e.g., intentions of the aggressor and the consequences for the victim. Observer-related variables, such as level of moral reasoning have not been studied. To examine the relationship…

Reports a study which examined objective ratings of the moral issues expressed in the Defining Issues Test (DIT) items in relation to verbal reports of the reasoning with which those ratings were generated. Finds that differences in the educational level of the subjects were significant. A case is made for verbal assessment of information on…

This article presents a longitudinal-sequential analysis of the developmental and reciprocal relationships between self-reported delinquency and moral reasoning (as measured with the Dutch version of the short form of the Defining Issues Test). Between 1991 and 1997 a large sample of 846 Dutch adolescents and young adults (15-23 years in 1991) was…