Social Cognitive Influences on Early Adolescents' Decisions to Copy Software in Hypothetical Situations

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Abstract
The relationship between sociomoral reasoning and social problem-solving (SPS) skills in the prediction of decisional choice was investigated. The criterion behavior involved hypothetical decisions of whether or not students, 53 seventh graders, would violate a school rule prohibiting the copying of computer software. Using written interviews, decisional choices were evoked in three different contexts: an ambiguous situation, a situation with clear rules, and an interpersonal dilemma. Significant positive correlations were found between sociomoral reasoning, a quantitative measure of problem sensitivity, and a qualitative measure of problem sensitivity. Each of these three measures was found to be predictive of decisional choice, but only in the ambiguous context. A Roy-Bargmann stepdown analysis showed that the sensitivity measures explained variance in decisional choice beyond that accounted for in knowledge of computer ethics and sociomoral reasoning.