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An Integrated Model of Legal and Moral Reasoning and Rule-Violating Behavior: The Role of Legal Attitudes

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Law and Human Behavior

Abstract

Legal socialization theory predicts that attitudes mediate the relation between legal reasoning and rule-violating behavior [Cohn, E. S., & White, S. O. (1990). Legal Socialization: A Study of Norms and Rules. New York: Springer-Verlag]. Moral development theory predicts that moral reasoning predicts rule-violating behavior directly as well as indirectly [Blasi, A. (1980). Bridging moral cognition and moral action: A critical review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 1–45]. We present and test an integrated model of rule-violating behavior drawing on both theories in a longitudinal study of middle school and high school students. Students completed questionnaires three times during the course of 1 year at 6-month intervals. Legal and moral reasoning, legal attitudes, and rule-violating behavior were measured at times one, two, and three respectively. Structural equation models revealed that while moral and legal reasoning were directly and indirectly related to rule-violating behavior among high school students, legal reasoning bore no direct relation to rule-violating behavior among middle school students. The implications for an integrated model of reasoning and rule-violating behavior are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was facilitated by a grant from the National Science Foundation Law and Social Sciences Program (SES-0550145). We thank the following individuals for reading drafts of this article: Karinne Brobst, Jessie French, Jaime Gallagher, Erin Goforth, Michelle Leichtman, Edward Lemay, David Pillemer, and Rick Trinkner. Thanks are also due to Jenna Alessandro, Stephanie Bartone, Jessica Bean, Rebekah Blanchard, Molly Bond, Michelle Braley, Katelyn Brennan, Karinne Brobst, Scott Brokaw, Danielle DiFranco, Steven Falk, Jason Frazier, Jessie French, Emma Ginty, Jessica Hopps, Stephanie Huckins, Katy Jean, Sean Kelly, Adam Knoll, Alyssa Lanza, Edward MacDonald, Matthew Mulvaney, Cathy Overson, Erica Sugarman, Rick Trinkner, Andrew VanHoogenstyn, and Carin Whelehan for helping with the data collection and/or data entry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, University of New Hampshire, Conant Hall, 10 Library Way, Durham, NH, USA

    Ellen S. Cohn & Donald Bucolo

  2. Sociology Department, University of New Hampshire, Horton Social Science Center, 20 Academic Way, Durham, NH, USA

    Cesar J. Rebellon & Karen Van Gundy

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  1. Ellen S. Cohn
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  2. Donald Bucolo
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  3. Cesar J. Rebellon
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  4. Karen Van Gundy
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Correspondence to Ellen S. Cohn.

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Cohn, E.S., Bucolo, D., Rebellon, C.J. et al. An Integrated Model of Legal and Moral Reasoning and Rule-Violating Behavior: The Role of Legal Attitudes. Law Hum Behav 34, 295–309 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-009-9185-9

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