Modules 51-54 (mini) essay questions
In the text, you read about the concept that with more reasoning power comes the ability to reason morally. Lawrence Kohlberg used this idea to create his stage theory of moral development. Describe Kohlberg's three stages of moral development. How do Jonathan Haidt's views differ from Kohlberg's?
Lawrence Kohlberg developed the theory of moral development. It includes three steps called preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality. The first stage, preconventional morality, takes place before the age of 9. A child in this stage will exhibit self-interest. They will obey rules in order to avoid punishment or gain rewards. The second stage is conventional morality and it happens during early adolescence. In the conventional morality stage, people will uphold the laws and rules in order to gain social approval or to maintain order. Finally, there is postconventional morality. This final stage begins in adolescence and involves acting based on one's personal belief system. Jonathan Haidt believes that, instead, we make moral judgements based on quick gut feelings, also known as moral intuitions. Instead of developing morality throughout different stages as Kohlberg suggested, Haidt believes it is based on instinct.
Explain how psychologists can use both longitudinal studies and cross-sectional studies to examine human behavior across the life span. Give an example of each.
Longitudinal studies are used to study the same group of people over time. This allows scientists to see changes in their subjects over time. An example would be studying the impact a medical treatment has on a group of subjects at age 8 and then collecting more data on those same subjects 10 years later. Cross-sectional studies look at a group of subjects who are all at different ages. These can be used to assess the impact of something on people at many different ages at the same time. An example would be giving a medical treatment to a 10 year old, 20 year old, 30 year old, and 40 year old subject to see what impact it has on each individual. They have been used to show scientists what mental abilities do and do not change over time.
Define sexual orientation. What environmental factors have been ruled out as contributors to homosexuality? What biological factors might influence homosexuality?
Sexual orientation defines what gender(s) a person is sexually and/or romantically attracted to. Some examples of different sexual orientations include heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual. Based on the text (pgs. 532-533), scientists have been unable to find any environmental link to homosexuality. Homosexuality has no link to the household you grew up in, fear/hatred of the opposite sex, levels of sex hormones in the blood, or a history of sexual assaults/rape. In studies, it has been found that gay people are just as likely to have been raised without a father as straight people, for example. Due to these findings, scientists have been eager to explore possible connections between homosexuality and factors including evidence in other species, genetics, brain differences, and prenatal hormones.
