This study accounts for weak and inconsistent evidence in prior research on differential use by men and women of care-oriented moral reasoning by investigating the indirect effects of sex-role subscription on moral viewpoint through interactional context. An online computer context for solving moral dilemmas by minimizing gender cues and bias due to sex-role demands in interaction is introduced to encourage reliance on internalized gender variations in moral orientation. Observation of a matched sample of 104 participants assigned to treatment and control groups tested whether the relationship between sex-role orientation and care-oriented moral reasoning is stronger for sex-role-stereotyped than for undifferentiated individuals online versus face-to-face. A statistically significant difference was found, suggesting the effectiveness of the context control in invoking a gender difference in moral reasoning. Implications are for incorporating computer interactional context as a moderating variable in experimental designs, especially those employed in research testing gender theory.
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