Moral reasoning and moral competence as predictors of cooperative behavior in a social dilemma.

The level of moral development may be crucial to understand behavior when people have to choose between prioritizing individual gains or pursuing general social benefits. This study evaluated whether two different psychological constructs, moral reasoning and moral competence, are associated with cooperative behavior in the context of the prisoner's dilemma game, a two-person social dilemma where individuals choose between cooperation or defection. One hundred and eighty-nine Mexican university students completed the Defining Issues Test (DIT-2; measuring moral reasoning) and the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and played an online version of the prisoner's dilemma game, once against each participant in a group of 6-10 players. Our results indicate that cooperative behavior is strongly affected by the outcomes in previous rounds: Except when both participants cooperated, the probability of cooperation with other participants in subsequent rounds decreased. Both the DIT-2 and MCT independently moderated this effect of previous experiences, particularly in the case of sucker-outcomes. Individuals with high scores on both tests were not affected when in previous rounds the other player defected while they cooperated. Our findings suggest that more sophisticated moral reasoning and moral competence promote the maintenance of cooperative behaviors despite facing adverse situations.

Modelo sociocultural del dominio moral en adolescentes mexicanos / Sociocultural model of moral domain in Mexican adolescents

Resumen Para favorecer el desarrollo de la adolescencia es fundamental fomentar un dominio moral que tenga en cuenta las características de la cultura y la dinámica familiar, pues ambas permiten comprender los principios que conforman el juicio moral. Teniendo esto en cuenta, la presente investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar si el colectivismo, las premisas histórico-sociales-culturales y el funcionamiento familiar predicen el dominio moral en adolescentes mexicanos. Para ello, se contó con una muestra de 459 adolescentes que participaron de manera voluntaria en la aplicación de la Escala de Dominio Moral para Adolescentes, una adaptación de la Escala de Premisas Histórico-Socioculturales, y la Escala de Individualismo y Colectivismo, en secundarias o preparatorias públicas de Ciudad de México y municipios del Estado de México. El análisis de los resultados se realizó con ecuaciones estructurales, tras lo cual se obtuvo un modelo en el que el colectivismo, las normas tradicionales de la cultura mexicana y el funcionamiento familiar predicen el dominio de una moral prescriptiva y restrictiva en adolescentes mexicanos (X 2 = 0.496, gl = 1, p = .481, X 2 /gl = 0.496, AGFI = .992, SRMR = .006, RMSEA < .001). En conclusión, la evidencia obtenida demuestra que una parte importante de las variaciones del dominio moral en adolescentes se debe a factores culturales y de socialización en el entorno familiar.

Abstract In order to favor the development of adolescence it is essential to foster a moral domain that takes into account the characteristics of culture and family dynamics, since both allow to understand the principles that shape moral judgement. This research aimed to determine whether collectivism, historical-socio-cultural premises and family functioning predict moral domain in Mexican adolescents. For this purpose, a sample of 459 adolescents participated voluntarily in the application of the Moral Domain Scale for Adolescents, an adaptation of the Historical-Social-Cultural Premises Scale, and the Individualism and Collectivism Scale, in public secondary schools or high schools in Mexico City and municipalities of the State of Mexico. Data were analyzed using structural equations modeling. A model was obtained in which collectivism, the traditional norms of Mexican culture and family functioning predict the domain of a prescriptive and restrictive morality in Mexican adolescents. In conclusion, the evidence found shows that an important part of the variations in the moral domain in adolescents is due to cultural and socialization factors in the family environment.