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Antecedent Variables for Sociomoral Reasoning Development: Evidence from Two Cultural Settings
Author(s) -
Markoulis Diomedes,
Valanides Nikolaos
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/002075997400674
Subject(s) - lawrence kohlberg's stages of moral development , psychology , judgement , antecedent (behavioral psychology) , conceptualization , moral reasoning , moral development , developmental psychology , cognition , cognitive development , social psychology , epistemology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , computer science , neuroscience
This study examined the developmental pattern of sociomoral reasoning in two different cultural settings, focusing on factors assumed to influence the course of growth in this particular domain. The specific hypotheses tested concerned the relationships between operational thinking within Piaget's theory and Kohlberg's conceptualization of sociomoral judgement development. Secondary school and university students from Greece and Nigeria aged 15 to 22 years ( N = 281) participated in the study. Results indicated that (1) the developmental sequence was similar in the two differing cultural environments, (2) stage endorsement differed significantly in the two samples, and (3) the necessary‐but‐not‐sufficient hypothesis was confirmed in both groups. The possible explanations of the findings are discussed in connection with the basic assumptions of the structural‐developmental approach to socio‐cognitive growth.