01:830:101 Chapter 13: Notes

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: 01:830:101
• Professor: Dickson

Document Summary

According to kohlberg, to evaluate people"s moral reasoning, we should ask about the reasons for their decisions, not just about the decisions themselves. More often, people make a quick decision and then look for reasons afterward. System 1 for the initial decision, call upon system 2 for logical-sounding explanations. Most moral decisions are more emotional rather than logical. According to him, morality means seeking justice and avoiding harm to others. Description works for most americans and europeans, especially political liberals. However, most people in the rest of the world also consider loyalty to their group, respect for authority, and spiritual purity. Altruistic behavior is helping others despite a cost to ourselves. Uncommon in other animal species yes, for their offspring and relatives, but not to unrelated individuals. Evidently a certain amount of prosocial behavior comes naturally, and cultural influences can increase it.