PsycbologicalReports, 1991, 67, 328-330.
@ Psychological Reports 1991
COGNITIVE STYLES A N D MORAL REASONING ' TUNTUFYE S. MWAMWENDA University of Transkei Summary.-It was hypothesized that Field-dependent persons would be reasoning at the conventional level, whereas field-independent persons would reason at the postconventional level. Data from 7 female and 3 male graduate students in Canada supported the first hypothesis (8 field-independent vs 2 field-dependent scorers), but not the second one.
I n their independent work, Kohlberg (1964), Keasey (1971), and DePalma and Foley (1975) have reported a relationship between cognitive development and moral reasoning. Most of those subjects who reasoned at the postconventional level were said to be at the formal operations level. O n the basis of a review of related literature by Adelson (1975), a relationship between moral development and cognitive styles was proposed. Conventional moral reasoning is based on conformity to majority opinion, pleasing and winning others' approval, strong faith in authority, and fixed rules and maintenance of social order (Kohlberg, 1968). What constitutes wrong and right is based on values of the group or society. Such a forrn of reasoning seems to suit field-dependent persons who are described as conforming in their orientation so that their political, social, and religious opinions change to suit those of their superiors. Field-dependent persons are keen on receiving approval and pleasing others. Given less analytical ability, they are dominated by and tend to accept their environment. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to say field-dependent persons appear to be more likely to accept the conventional level of morality and would not bother to restructure it. The purpose of the present study was to examine a relationship between cognitive styles and moral development. Specifically, a possible difference in moral development between highly educated field-dependent and field-independent persons was assessed.
METHOD I n the sample were 14 graduate students (8 women and 6 men) enrolled in a psychology of language course offered by the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada). Most subjects were full-time teachers who were attending courses part-time. They were administered the Embedded Figures Test to estimate cognitive style and the Moral Judgement Scale, Form A, to assess stage of moral develop'Address correspondence to Professor Tunmfye S. Mwamwenda, University of Transkei, Private Bag X I , Unitra, Transkei, South Africa.
COGNITIVE STYLES AND MORAL REASONING
329
ment. Scoring was according to instructions in the manuals. Only seven women and three men completed both tests.
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION Performance on the Group Embedded Figures Test, a measure of cognitive style, showed that eight of the ten subjects had perfect scores, with the exception of one woman who scored 17 points out of 18 total possible. Of the eight who scored perfectly, six were women. Two of the remaining subjects scored as field-dependent, and of the two field-dependent teachers, one was a man and the other was a woman. Witkin reported undergraduate women were more field-dependent than their male peers, but Witkin based their classifications most often on measures other than the Embedded Figures Test. I n the present study and others (Evans, 1967; Mayo & Bell, 1972) no sex differences have been observed. Perhaps a greater amount of education diminishes the differences. The distribution of scores at each stage of reasoning by story indicated that not one subject reasoned lower than Stage 3. The score was at the postconventional stages. At Stage 6 there were 8 scores, a level at which Kohlberg states scores are few. The highest score was made at Stage 5 , showing that there was a strong inclination to reason at the postconventional level, as expected from subjects' performance on the Group Embedded Figures Test on which scores were restricted, being clustered at the ceiling. Were t h s replicated, the predicted correlation between field independence and postconventional reasoning would be supported. O n e notes, however, the present distribution of means on moral development does not support this conclusion. TABLE 1 D~snrreuno~ OF NUMBERSOF SUBJECTS AND MEAN SCORES ON MORAL DEVELOPMENT ( N = 10)
n
Score
Women
Men
Field-independent Men Women
7 443.0
3 444.5
2 432.0
6 444.7
Field-dependent Men Women 1 457.0
1 431.0
Table 1 indicates a distribution of means in terms of sex and cognitive styles of each sex. Over-all, the present subjects, irrespective of their sex or cognitive styles, reasoned at the fourth stage. Although the majority of their answers were at the fifth stage, their responding was not sufficient for them to sustain that level; in fact, some of their responses showed they reasoned at a conventional level. After adding their points together, their mean scores naturally declined and so lowered the assigned over-all stage of reasoning. I n summary, it is apparent that these graduate students' sex and cognitive style had little effect on their moral reasoning.
T. S. MWAMWENDA REFERENCES ADELSON,B. M. Moral judgement in women as a function of field independence, feminist attitudes and subjective adult experience. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1975, 36(4-B), 1897. DEPALMA,D. J., & FOLEY,J. M. (Eds.) Moral development: current theory and research. New York: Wiley, 1975. EVANS, F. J. ~ i e l ddependence and the Maudsley Personality Inventory. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 1967.. 24., 526. KEASEY,G. B. Social participation as a factor in moral development of preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 1971, 5, 216-220. KOHLBERG,L. Development of moral character and moral ideology. In M. L. Hoffman & L. W. Hoffman (Eds.), Religion and public education. Boston, M A : Houghton Mifflin, 1964. KOHLBERG,L. Sfager in the development of moral thought and action. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1968. M ~ Y o R. , R., & BELL, J. M. A taxonomy of Witkin's field dependencelindependence measures. Brltrsh lournal of Psychology, 1972, 63, 255-256.
Accepted August 19, 1991.
@ Psychological Reports 1991
COGNITIVE STYLES A N D MORAL REASONING ' TUNTUFYE S. MWAMWENDA University of Transkei Summary.-It was hypothesized that Field-dependent persons would be reasoning at the conventional level, whereas field-independent persons would reason at the postconventional level. Data from 7 female and 3 male graduate students in Canada supported the first hypothesis (8 field-independent vs 2 field-dependent scorers), but not the second one.
I n their independent work, Kohlberg (1964), Keasey (1971), and DePalma and Foley (1975) have reported a relationship between cognitive development and moral reasoning. Most of those subjects who reasoned at the postconventional level were said to be at the formal operations level. O n the basis of a review of related literature by Adelson (1975), a relationship between moral development and cognitive styles was proposed. Conventional moral reasoning is based on conformity to majority opinion, pleasing and winning others' approval, strong faith in authority, and fixed rules and maintenance of social order (Kohlberg, 1968). What constitutes wrong and right is based on values of the group or society. Such a forrn of reasoning seems to suit field-dependent persons who are described as conforming in their orientation so that their political, social, and religious opinions change to suit those of their superiors. Field-dependent persons are keen on receiving approval and pleasing others. Given less analytical ability, they are dominated by and tend to accept their environment. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to say field-dependent persons appear to be more likely to accept the conventional level of morality and would not bother to restructure it. The purpose of the present study was to examine a relationship between cognitive styles and moral development. Specifically, a possible difference in moral development between highly educated field-dependent and field-independent persons was assessed.
METHOD I n the sample were 14 graduate students (8 women and 6 men) enrolled in a psychology of language course offered by the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada). Most subjects were full-time teachers who were attending courses part-time. They were administered the Embedded Figures Test to estimate cognitive style and the Moral Judgement Scale, Form A, to assess stage of moral develop'Address correspondence to Professor Tunmfye S. Mwamwenda, University of Transkei, Private Bag X I , Unitra, Transkei, South Africa.
COGNITIVE STYLES AND MORAL REASONING
329
ment. Scoring was according to instructions in the manuals. Only seven women and three men completed both tests.
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION Performance on the Group Embedded Figures Test, a measure of cognitive style, showed that eight of the ten subjects had perfect scores, with the exception of one woman who scored 17 points out of 18 total possible. Of the eight who scored perfectly, six were women. Two of the remaining subjects scored as field-dependent, and of the two field-dependent teachers, one was a man and the other was a woman. Witkin reported undergraduate women were more field-dependent than their male peers, but Witkin based their classifications most often on measures other than the Embedded Figures Test. I n the present study and others (Evans, 1967; Mayo & Bell, 1972) no sex differences have been observed. Perhaps a greater amount of education diminishes the differences. The distribution of scores at each stage of reasoning by story indicated that not one subject reasoned lower than Stage 3. The score was at the postconventional stages. At Stage 6 there were 8 scores, a level at which Kohlberg states scores are few. The highest score was made at Stage 5 , showing that there was a strong inclination to reason at the postconventional level, as expected from subjects' performance on the Group Embedded Figures Test on which scores were restricted, being clustered at the ceiling. Were t h s replicated, the predicted correlation between field independence and postconventional reasoning would be supported. O n e notes, however, the present distribution of means on moral development does not support this conclusion. TABLE 1 D~snrreuno~ OF NUMBERSOF SUBJECTS AND MEAN SCORES ON MORAL DEVELOPMENT ( N = 10)
n
Score
Women
Men
Field-independent Men Women
7 443.0
3 444.5
2 432.0
6 444.7
Field-dependent Men Women 1 457.0
1 431.0
Table 1 indicates a distribution of means in terms of sex and cognitive styles of each sex. Over-all, the present subjects, irrespective of their sex or cognitive styles, reasoned at the fourth stage. Although the majority of their answers were at the fifth stage, their responding was not sufficient for them to sustain that level; in fact, some of their responses showed they reasoned at a conventional level. After adding their points together, their mean scores naturally declined and so lowered the assigned over-all stage of reasoning. I n summary, it is apparent that these graduate students' sex and cognitive style had little effect on their moral reasoning.
T. S. MWAMWENDA REFERENCES ADELSON,B. M. Moral judgement in women as a function of field independence, feminist attitudes and subjective adult experience. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1975, 36(4-B), 1897. DEPALMA,D. J., & FOLEY,J. M. (Eds.) Moral development: current theory and research. New York: Wiley, 1975. EVANS, F. J. ~ i e l ddependence and the Maudsley Personality Inventory. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 1967.. 24., 526. KEASEY,G. B. Social participation as a factor in moral development of preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 1971, 5, 216-220. KOHLBERG,L. Development of moral character and moral ideology. In M. L. Hoffman & L. W. Hoffman (Eds.), Religion and public education. Boston, M A : Houghton Mifflin, 1964. KOHLBERG,L. Sfager in the development of moral thought and action. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1968. M ~ Y o R. , R., & BELL, J. M. A taxonomy of Witkin's field dependencelindependence measures. Brltrsh lournal of Psychology, 1972, 63, 255-256.
Accepted August 19, 1991.
