| Abstract: | Reports an error in "Cross-cultural universality of social-moral development: A critical review of Kohlbergian research" by John R. Snarey (Psychological Bulletin, 1985[Mar], Vol 97[2], 202-232). The subheadings in Table 5 are incorrect and should be reversed. The first subheading should read "Countries for Which Studies Did Not Report Significant Differences," and the second subheading should read "Countries for Which Studies Did Report Statistically Significant Differences." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-19924-001.) Reviews 45 cross-cultural studies of moral reasoning published from 1969 to 1984 to evaluate the empirical support for the primary empirical assumptions underlying the claim of L. Kohlberg (1971) that there is a cross-cultural universality of moral development. The assumptions underlying the claim are identified as culturally diverse samplings, universal and moral questions, invariant stage sequence, full range of stages, and general applicability of the stages. Findings support the underlying assumptions and identify some major caveats regarding the range and general applicability of the stages across cultures. Biases in favor of complex urban societies and middle-class populations are evident in the studies. It is suggested that sociocultural systems should be expected to vary in modal stage of usage and should also be understood as fully equal. A key to this position is to distinguish between society and culture and to bring a developmental perspective to both. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
