Situational variation in moral judgment: In a stage or on a stage?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Moral Development Studies

Background:

• Investigating moral judgment consistency across contexts.
• Examining the link between moral reasoning structure and decision content.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess moral judgment consistency in business vs. Kohlberg dilemmas.
• To explore the influence of audience on moral decision-making.
• To determine the relationship between moral maturity and decision content.

Main Methods:

• Administered business and Kohlberg moral dilemmas to 40 subjects.
• Varied audience (business vs. philosophical) for dilemma responses.
• Scored responses using Colby and Kohlberg (1987) manual.

Main Results:

• Moral reasoning stage was higher for Kohlberg dilemmas than business dilemmas.
• Significant interaction between dilemma type and audience observed.
• Selfishness in business choices negatively correlated with business dilemma maturity.

Conclusions:

• Findings support models emphasizing situational influence on moral reasoning.
• Suggests a wider range of within-person stage use than constructivist models propose.
• Highlights the impact of social context on moral judgment and decision-making.