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Abstract

The relations among personality traits, moral judgment, and personal epistemology were investigated. The relationship between personality and moral judgments is empirically unclear, which may reflect that personal epistemology mediates the relationships between personality and moral reasoning. In the present study 41 men and 57 women, ranging in age from 18 to 46 yr. responded to Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, Form V, a measure of moral reasoning or Rest's Defining Issues Test, and a measure of persona] epistemology by Unger, Draper, and Pendergrass, the Attitudes About Reality scale. The pattern of inter-correlation among measures differed for men and women. For women an epistemology based on assumptions of logical positivism was negatively correlated with sensation seeking. For men an epistemology based on assumptions of logical positivism was negatively correlated with principled moral reasoning. Implications of these results are discussed.

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Personality,Personal Epistemology,and Moral Judgment

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