NCJ Number
66160
Journal
Psychological Reports Volume: 46 Issue: 1 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1980) Pages: 91-94
Date Published
1980
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A RESEARCH STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE IF PARTICIPATION BY JUVENILE DELINQUENTS IN EXTENDED SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS OF ETHICAL DILEMMAS WOULD PROMOTE CONVENTIONAL MORAL REASONING.
Abstract
ALL 19 DELINQUENTS--13 BOYS AND 6 GIRLS--WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 1 OF 3 GROUPS. FIVE TO SEVEN DELINQUENTS PARTICIPATED IN EACH GROUP ALONG WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST AND A PROBATION OFFICER. EACH GROUP MET WEEKLY FOR 7 WEEKS, AND EACH SUBJECT WAS PRETESTED AND POSTTESTED WITH FORM A OF KOHLBERG'S DILEMMAS. TEST RESULTS, AS WELL AS DISCUSSION LEADERS' EVALUATIONS OF THE DEGREE OF SUCCESS IN PROMOTING A SPIRITED DISCUSSION OF MORAL DILEMMAS, INDICATED THAT 82 PERCENT OF THE PARTICIPANTS' MORAL MATURITY SCORES INCREASED ON THE AVERAGE A TOTAL OF ONE-FIFTH ON A KOHLBERG-TYPE STAGE OF MORAL REASONING. PREMORAL THOUGHT WAS REDUCED; MOST SUBJECTS EITHER ACHIEVED OR WERE IN TRANSITION TO STAGE THREE REASONING. GROUPS WHO STIMULATED STRONG PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT PRODUCED THE MOST CHANGE IN MORAL JUDGMENT. HOWEVER, DATA DID NOT CONFIRM THE EXPECTATION THAT HIGH LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION WOULD LEAD TO UNIFORM HIGH GAINS BY ALL PARTICIPANTS. ALTHOUGH RESULTS ARE ENCOURAGING, FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO ASSESS THE DURATION OF THE CHANGE AND WHETHER IT WILL RESULT IN A CORRESPONDING DECREASE IN RECIDIVISM. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DEG)