Question 1

When making decisions, teens tend to place the greatest emphasis on which of the following consequences of their actions?

Accepted Answer

During adolescence, social acceptance and peer approval become increasingly important. Therefore, teens tend to place the greatest emphasis on social consequences such as how their decisions will affect their relationships and perceptions by others.

Question 2

What basic moral question underlies the Heinz dilemma?

Accepted Answer

The Heinz dilemma is a moral dilemma that asks whether stealing can be justified when a person's life or their loved one's life is at stake. This dilemma raises the moral question of whether it is ever acceptable to violate basic social and ethical norms in order to protect one's well-being or that of their loved ones.

Question 3

When making a moral judgment, what does a person in the first stage of preconventional moral reasoning rely heavily on?

Accepted Answer

A person in the first stage of preconventional moral reasoning relies heavily on obedience to authority. They base their moral judgments on avoiding punishment and following rules set by authority figures. They may not yet have developed a personal moral code or a strong sense of empathy or compassion towards others.

Question 4

According to Klaczynski and Narasimham (1998), what do teens tend to do when making decisions concerning scientific research?

Accepted Answer

According to Klaczynski and Narasimham (1998), teens tend to dismiss findings that threaten their beliefs when making decisions concerning scientific research.

Question 5

When considering the Heinz dilemma, Tony says that he would not steal the drug because he was raised to believe that stealing was wrong and that people who steal get into trouble. Which of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is Tony most likely at?

Accepted Answer

Tony's reasoning is based on obedience and avoiding punishment, which aligns with Kohlberg's first stage of moral development.

Question 6

Which concept is best associated with increased content knowledge?

Accepted Answer

Increased content knowledge is directly linked to increased expertise. This expertise comes from acquiring more and more knowledge about a particular subject, which in turn increases content knowledge.

Question 7

Based on results from Klaczynski and Narasimham (1998), what would you predict would have happened when Dylan, a white supremacist teen, read a scientific study indicating that Asians have higher IQs than Caucasians?

Accepted Answer

Klaczynski and Narasimham (1998) found that individuals with strong beliefs tend to discount information that threatens their beliefs. As Dylan is a white supremacist with strong beliefs about Caucasians being superior, he is likely to dismiss the study as flawed rather than reconsider his stance or view Asians as more intelligent.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of deductive reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Deductive reasoning involves drawing a specific conclusion from a general statement or principle. Option D ("If you play with fire, you're likely to get burned.") is an example of deductive reasoning because it applies the general knowledge that fire can cause harm to the specific act of playing with fire, leading to the logical conclusion of getting burned.

Question 9

What label did Kohlberg use when referring to the first level of moral reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Kohlberg used the term "preconventional" to refer to the first level of moral reasoning, which is characterized by a focus on obedience and self-interest. This level typically corresponds to young children and those who have not yet fully developed abstract reasoning abilities.

Question 10

According to Kohlberg's original theory, how many levels of moral reasoning are there, and how many stages does each level contain?

Accepted Answer

Kohlberg's theory of moral development proposes three levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional, with each level containing two stages, making a total of six stages.

Question 11

Which of the following is the best example of a metacognitive skill?

Accepted Answer

Monitoring the effectiveness of a problem solving strategy is a metacognitive skill, as it involves thinking about and reflecting on one's own thinking process and approach to problem solving. Processing speed and long-term memory capacity are both cognitive skills, while possessing great levels of content knowledge about a topic is a combination of both cognitive and metacognitive skills.

Question 12

When asked how she makes moral judgments, 15-year-old Fawn says, "I do what my dad says is right." What level of moral thinking is Fawn at?

Accepted Answer

Fawn's response suggests that she is relying on external authority figures to determine what is right and wrong, which is characteristic of the preconventional level of moral thinking. At this stage, individuals make judgments based on avoiding punishment and satisfying their own needs.

Question 13

What is preconventional moral reasoning based on?

Accepted Answer

Preconventional moral reasoning is based on external forces, such as rewards and punishments. This stage is characterized by a focus on self-interest and obedience to authority figures.

Question 14

When Julie and Jacob were arguing about whom the world's best guitar player has been, Julie attacked Jacob because Jacob's distant cousin is Eddie Van Halen (whom Jacob idolizes). Julie says that's why Jacob chooses him. What type of argument is this?

Accepted Answer

This is an ad hominem argument, as Julie attacked Jacob's character rather than providing a valid argument for her stance on the best guitar player in the world. She used Jacob's relationship to Eddie Van Halen as a way to discredit his opinion, rather than addressing the actual issue at hand.

Question 15

Gilbert is an adolescent who is able to figure out weaknesses and problems in scientific evidence, and he loves to debate his theories based upon logical argument. What feature in adolescent information professing describes Gilbert's state?

Accepted Answer

Gilbert's ability to identify weaknesses in scientific evidence and engage in logical argumentation indicates strong problem-solving and reasoning skills, which are features of adolescent information processing.

Question 16

When considering whether or not to be nice to a classmate, Nora says, "If I am nice to Jamie, he might give me his cookie at lunch." Which stage of moral reasoning does this type of logic best exemplify?

Accepted Answer

This type of logic best exemplifies the second stage of moral reasoning, which is characterized by a focus on self-interest and the idea that others' behaviors should be reciprocated based on personal benefit or harm. This stage is also referred to as the instrumental relativist stage.

Question 17

At which level does moral reasoning based on instrumental orientation tend to occur at?

Accepted Answer

The preconventional level of moral reasoning is characterized by an instrumental orientation, in which individuals make moral decisions based on their own self-interest and the potential rewards or punishments involved. This level typically emerges in childhood and early adolescence.

Question 18

What technique did Kohlberg (1969) use to assess moral thinking?

Accepted Answer

Kohlberg presented participants with moral dilemmas in order to assess their moral thinking. Participants were asked to explain their reasoning behind their decision and their justifications for their moral choices.

Question 19

When discussing the Heinz dilemma, what kind of decision would indicate that a person is at the instrumental orientation stage of moral reasoning?

Accepted Answer

The instrumental orientation stage of moral reasoning is characterized by a narrow focus on self-interest and personal needs. Making a decision based on how stealing the drug might create inconveniences to oneself is indicative of this stage. Decisions based on current laws (A) would fall under the conventional orientation stage, decisions based on a universal moral code (B) would fall under the post-conventional orientation stage, and decisions based on obedience to an authority figure (C) would fall under the pre-conventional orientation stage.

Question 20

Using the methodology from Klaczynski and Narasimham's (1998) study of adolescent cognition, telling a Jewish individual that Catholic parents are very creative would classify as what kind of outcome?

Accepted Answer

The statement is neutral as it does not inherently carry a positive or negative connotation about the Jewish individual; it simply describes Catholic parents as creative.

Quiz 9: Rites of Passage