An investigation of the relationship between values and moral judgement was conducted using 124 Australian university students. Participants completed a Value Survey and the Defining Issues Test in sessions one week apart. Data were analysed by computing correlations and multiple regression of ratings for individual values and Value Type scores with Stage Scores and summary scores of moral reasoning. Analysis confirmed only some of the predicted relationships between values and the moral reasoning measure and indicated some that had not been predicted. Theoretical and psychometric factors contributing to these results are discussed, and the importance of identifying the conceptual bases of measures used in moral behaviour research is noted.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AnastasiA. (1988) Psychological testing. (6th ed.) New York: Macmillan.
2.
BraithwaiteV. A.LawH. G. (1985) Structure of human values: Testing the adequacy of the Rokeach Value Survey. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 250–263.
3.
ColbyA.KohlbergL. (1988) The measurement of moral judgement. Vol II. The scoring manuals. New York: Free Press.
4.
CornwallJ. M.DunlapW. P. (1994) On the questionable soundness of factoring ipsative data: A response to Saville and Willson (1991). Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 67, 89–100.
5.
DavisonM. L. (1979) The internal structure and the psychometric properties of the Defining Issues Test. In RestJ. R. (Ed.), Development in judging moral issues. Minneapolis, MN: Univer. of Minnesota Press. Pp. 223–245.
6.
DiessnerR.MaytonD.DolenM. A. (1993) Value hierarchies and moral reasoning. Journal of Social Psychology, 133, 869–871.
7.
EmlerN. (1987) Socio-moral development from the perspective of social representations. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 17, 371–388.
8.
FeatherN. T. (1988) Moral judgement and human values. British Journal of Social Psychology, 21, 239–246.
9.
GibbinsK.WalkerI. (1993) Multiple interpretations of the Rokeach Value Survey. Journal of Social Psychology, 133, 797–805.
10.
GibbsJ. C.SchnellS. V. (1985) Moral development “versus” socialization: A critique. American Psychologist, 40, 1071–1080.
11.
GilliganC. (1982) In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univer. Press.
12.
GilliganC.WardJ. V.TaylorT. M.BordigeB. (1988) Mapping the moral domain: A contribution of women's thinking to psychological theory and education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univer. Press.
13.
HelkamaK. (1982) The development of moral reasoning and moral values. Acta Psychologica Fennica, 9, 99–111.
14.
KohlbergL. (1976) Moral stages and moralization: The cognitive developmental approach. In LickonaT. (Ed.), Moral development and behavior: Theory, research and social issues. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Pp. 31–53.
15.
KohlbergL. (1984) The psychology of moral development: The nature and validity of moral stages. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.
16.
MartinR. M.ShaftoM.VandeinseW. (1977) The reliability, validity and design of the Defining Issues Test. Developmental Psychology, 13, 460–468.
17.
ParishT. S.RosenblattR. R.KappesB. M. (1979) The relationship between human values and moral judgement. Psychology: A Quarterly Journal of Human Behavior, 16, 1–5.
18.
PiagetJ. (1972) The moral judgement of the child. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. (GabainM., Transl; Original work published 1932)
19.
RestJ. R. (1975) Longitudinal study of the Defining Issues Test of moral judgement: A strategy for analyzing developmental change. Developmental Psychology, 11, 738–748.
20.
RestJ. R. (1979a) Development in judging moral issues. Minneapolis, MN: Univer. of Minnesota Press.
21.
RestJ. R. (1979b) Revised manual for the Defining Issues Test. Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota Moral Research Projects.
22.
RestJ. R. (1986) Moral development: Advances in research and theory. New York: Praeger.
23.
RestJ. R.CooperD.CoderR.MasanzJ.AndersonD. (1974) Judging the important issues in moral dilemma: An objective measure of development. Developmental Psychology, 10, 491–501.
24.
RokeachM. (1973) The nature of human values. New York: Free Press.
25.
SchlaefliA.RestJ. R.ThomaS. J. (1985) Does moral education improve moral judgement? A meta-analysis of intervention studies using the Defining Issues Test. Review of Educational Research, 55, 319–352.
26.
SchwartzS. H. (1992) Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1–65.
27.
SchwartzS. H.AntonovskyA.SagivL. (1992) The stability and social desirability of value priorities. (Unpublished manuscript, Hebrew Univer., Jerusalem)
28.
SchwartzS. H.BilskyW. (1987) Toward a universal psychological structure of human values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 550–562.
29.
SchwartzS. H.BilskyW. (1990) Toward a universal psychological structure of human values: Extensions and cross-cultural replications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 878–891.
30.
SimmonsD. D. (1982) Is there compassion in principled moral judgements?Psychological Reports, 50, 553–554.
31.
ThompsonB.LevitovJ. E.MiederhoffP. A. (1982) Validity of the Rokeach Value Survey. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 42, 899–905.
32.
WeberJ. (1993) Exploring the relationship between personal values and moral reasoning. Human Relations, 46, 435–463.
33.
WilsonJ. P. (1983) Motives, values, and moral judgments. Journal of Personality Assessment, 47, 414–426.
