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Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal consequences. In Stage...

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Tracing the Moral Mind: How Individual Differences Modulate EEG Oscillations During Moral Decision-Making.

Michela Balconi^1,2, Roberta A Allegretta^1,2, Laura Angioletti^3,4

¹International research center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.

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Summary

Individual differences in decision-making styles and moral identity influence brain activity during moral reasoning. This highlights the interplay of intuitive, deliberative, and identity processes in moral evaluations.

Keywords:

Decision-making style Delta band EEG Moral decision-making Moral identity

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EEG Mu Rhythm in Typical and Atypical Development

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Published on: April 9, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Moral Psychology

Background:

Moral decision-making involves complex cognitive and emotional processes.
Neural underpinnings of individual differences in moral reasoning are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the relationship between individual differences in decision-making and neurophysiological activity during moral reasoning.
Examine how moral identity, decision-making styles, and maximization tendencies relate to brain activity.

Main Methods:

Thirty adults completed a moral dilemma task with electroencephalography (EEG) recording.
Participants also completed questionnaires on moral identity (MIQ), decision-making styles (GDMS), and maximization tendencies (MS).
Correlational analyses were performed between psychometric data and EEG spectral power.

Main Results:

Spontaneous decision-making style correlated with increased theta power (parieto-occipital), suggesting intuitive processing.
Higher decision difficulty correlated with reduced alpha activity (temporo-central), indicating increased cognitive effort.
Alternative search correlated with frontal beta power, linked to deliberative control.
Moral identity dimensions showed opposing associations with posterior delta activity, suggesting distinct value-processing pathways.

Conclusions:

Individual differences significantly shape the neural dynamics of moral reasoning.
Findings highlight the interplay of intuitive, deliberative, and identity-driven processes in moral evaluations.
Distinct neurocognitive pathways may underlie different aspects of value-based processing.