Two studies used a modification of the weakly interpretive scoring method of Langford and D'Cruz to examine judicial and legislative reasoning. Findings were in accord with modified versions of Piaget's and Kohlberg's views and contradicted Gibbs' theory. There were three stages of legislative reasoning between 7 and 21 years: heteronomy or…

Lists arguments for using corporal punishment in educational institutions and considers some advantages of its use. Asks when it should be used, who should be empowered to administer it, and why there are increasingly strong feelings against corporal punishment in some societies while others continue to use it. (BT)

Notes that technical communicators have developed different methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of their work, such as editing, usability testing, and determining the value added. Explains that at least three broad value systems underlie the assessment practices: characteristic-based, task-based, and results-based. Concludes that the…

Children's moral judgments, attributions of emotion, and their associations were examined in hypothetical, prototypical situations and situations of provocation and peer retaliation. Children judged prototypical and provoked moral transgressions (hitting and teasing). Hypothetical moral transgressions were judged to be more serious and deserving…

Discusses the cognitive aspect of moral judgment. Considers the reductionist position that a judgment must conform to the canons of deductive logic to have epistemological value. Argues that moral thinking follows a different logic, requires other kinds of knowing, and demands a different type of rationality. (DMM)

Argues that the moral quality of rhetorical forms interpenetrates a social order. Explores these new notions of criticism and morality in an example, traces the grounds for the perspective in contemporary American rhetorical studies, discusses imperatives for the implied critical program, and considers the character of the involved rhetorical…

Examined relationship between Batson's (1976) three religious orientations (Means, End, Quest) and level of moral judgment. Graduate students (N=64) completed the Religious Life Inventory; the Gladding, Lewis, and Adkins Scale of Religiosity; and the Defining Issues Test. Findings support Batson's contention that Quest orientation defines more…

A study of youths (n=38) placed at a rural boys' ranch examined the relationship between their background and level of moral reasoning. Although no demonstrated relationships were noted among factors evaluated, documentation for the need of moral education resulted. (Author/JOW)

Compared the moral reasoning of 1,230 Finnish adolescents with that of 428 adolescents of the same age who grew up in Estonia during Soviet socialism with collectivist educational practices. Two levels of moral reasoning, a set of universal standards and a set for personal applications, were more likely to be found among Estonians. (SLD)

Investigates the ways in which young adults make judgments about two contrasting kinds of rights: moral worthiness (the aretaic) and moral obligation (the deontic), reflecting on how thinking in these areas may be coordinated with responsibility judgments and behavior. Discusses what might be gained if the aretaic domain were taken into account in…

Current models of moral functioning such as those of Rest (1983) and Damon and Hart (1988) have maintained that optimal moral development and consistent moral action require the presence of multiple constructs. In order to examine the importance of the presence of multiple variables relevant to moral functioning, structural equation modeling was…

Although filmmaking requires substantial capital investment, it is not known whether cinematic creativity is positively correlated with the size of the film's budget. Therefore, budgetary impact was investigated in a sample of feature films released between 1997 and 2001. Although production costs were positively related to box office success (as…

The daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public school classrooms has been mandated by numerous state legislatures, resulting in much controversy and not a few lawsuits. In one Colorado lawsuit, both sides based their respective cases on the Pledge's purported "educational value" or lack thereof, but neither defined what…

A two-part study investigated the dimensional structure of stereotypes of women. In one sample (n=258), participants sorted traits according to the likelihood that they would co-occur in the same woman. In a separate sample (n=102), participants were given the same traits and were asked to judge the traits' desirability and to judge the moral…

In this dissertation, I evaluate whether helping students see the value in their coursework contributes to interest and achievement. Part 1 describes two studies that test the effectiveness of an instructional intervention to promote perceptions of utility value and interest--particularly for students with lower competence beliefs--compared to a…