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How do Scores of DIT and MJT Differ? A Critical Assessment of the Use of Alternative Moral Development Scales in Studies of Business Ethics

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Abstract

The construct of Cognitive Moral Development (CMD) has drawn much attention in the study of business ethics for over two decades. The Defining Issues Test (DIT) has made a significant contribution to the literature as an easy-to-administer CMD instrument, and the Moral Judgment Test (MJT), an alternative scale, has also been used widely especially in Europe. The two scales differ in their approaches to measuring CMD, focusing on stage preference (DIT) and stage consistency (MJT), yet empirical comparisons have been scarce. The present research empirically compares the two scales in terms of their correspondence with ethical ideology as a reference scale, and it demonstrates a clear distinction between the DIT and the MJT. Although they both aim to measure CMD, their dissimilar approaches lead to distinctly different implications.

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Abbreviations

CMD:

Cognitive Moral Development

DIT:

Defining Issues Test

MJT:

Moral Judgment Test

EPQ:

ethical positioning questionnaire

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  1. Department of Marketing, Virginia Tech, 3067 Pamplin Hall (0236), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Chiharu Ishida

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  1. Chiharu Ishida
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Correspondence to Chiharu Ishida.

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Ishida, C. How do Scores of DIT and MJT Differ? A Critical Assessment of the Use of Alternative Moral Development Scales in Studies of Business Ethics. J Bus Ethics 67, 63–74 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9005-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9005-9

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