Daniel Brugman

Measuring Self-Serving Cognitive Distortions with the “How I Think” Questionnaire

The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q), a paper-and-pencil instrument that measures self-serving, cognitive distortions. Our ...

Effects of the EQUIP programme on the moral judgement, cognitive distortions, and social skills of juvenile delinquents

Abstract A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study was carried out to investigate the effects of the EQUIP programme on moral judgement, social skills, cognitive distortions and social information processing of juvenile delinquents. The programme is designed to equip antisocial youth to think and act responsibly, and is a combination of Positive Peer Culture (PPC) and the teaching of helping skills. Participants were recruited from three comparable high-security correctional facilities for convicted boys between the ages of 12 and 18 years. One of these facilities implemented the EQUIP programme (n=31); the other two facilities provided the control group (n=25). Analysis of covariance on the post-test scores with the pre-test scores as the covariate showed a greater reduction of cognitive distortions in general for the EQUIP group when compared with the control group. No differences were found on moral judgement, social skills and social information processing. However, a few aspects of social information processing showed modest effect sizes in favour of the experimental group. It is concluded that to strengthen the effects of EQUIP a more intensive treatment is recommended. Future research on EQUIP should include more participants and investigate the impact of the programme on different types of antisocial youths.

Perception of moral atmosphere in school and norm transgressive behaviour in adolescents: An intervention study

How students perceive the moral atmosphere in their school may affect their behaviour in and around school. The perception of the moral atmosphere in school demands an assessment of the majority perspective among students, and is influenced by several individual and group-related characteristics. Can students learn to perceive the moral atmosphere in their school more accurately, and would an increase in perception accuracy reduce students’ norm transgressive behaviour in and around the school? To answer these questions an intervention programme, based on Galperin’s educational theory, was implemented class-wide and evaluated in a field study with a pre-test–post-test control group design with an added delayed post-test. Participants were 752 students from 40 Grade 8 and Grade 10 classes from 9 secondary schools. In hierarchical multiple regression analyses students’ perception of a school’s moral atmosphere, moral self-complexity, and moral judgment contributed to the prediction of norm transgressive behaviour and/or prosocial behaviour. As expected, the intervention produced a more unanimous perception of moral atmosphere (i.e., less variation within a class), particularly among boys. A more unanimous perception of moral atmosphere was negatively related to frequency of self-reported norm transgressive behaviour and positively to pro-social behaviour. The intervention effects on behaviour depended on the school. The significance of these results for the programme is discussed.

Students’ Perception of the Moral Atmosphere in Secondary School and the Relationship Between Moral Competence and Moral Atmosphere

Abstract This study of students’ perceptions of the moral atmosphere in secondary schools was mainly inspired by the Just Community theory of Power, Higgins and Kohlberg (1989). The concepts they used in their intervention studies of schools developing into a Just Community were operationalised through a paper‐and‐pencil instrument for the measurement of students’ perception of the moral atmosphere in school. To assess the reliability, validity and the power of the instrument a study was carried out in which 1553 students from 32 Dutch secondary schools participated. The schools were selected from among four types of schools varying in educational level: (1) junior vocational secondary education, (2) intermediate secondary education, (3) university preparatory and higher secondary education and (4) schools that were a mixture of intermediate secondary education, and university preparatory and higher secondary education. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between schools and school types...

Effects of the EQUIP peer intervention program on self-serving cognitive distortions and recidivism among delinquent male adolescents

Abstract EQUIP is a multicomponent peer-helping program that aims to reduce recidivism among delinquent adolescents by decreasing their cognitive distortions, improving their social skills and stimulating their moral development. In an earlier study in a high-security juvenile correctional facility in the Netherlands, the EQUIP program was found to have positive effects on reducing cognitive distortions in delinquent male adolescents. In this quasi-experimental pre/post-treatment test study, the effects of the EQUIP program on recidivism and on cognitive distortions in relation to recidivism were investigated. Participants were recruited from four comparable high-security juvenile correctional facilities for offenders between the ages of 12 and 18 years. One of these facilities implemented the EQUIP program (n=49); the other three facilities provided the control group (n=28). As expected, the experimental group showed a greater reduction in cognitive distortions (egocentric bias, minimizing/mislabeling and blaming others) than the control group. However, no differences were found in speed or seriousness of reoffending between the adolescents in the experimental group and those in the control group. The number of repeat offenses in the experimental group was smaller than in the control group. It is concluded that although in this intervention EQUIP reduced juvenile delinquents’ cognitive distortions, the effect did not seem powerful enough to affect the speed and seriousness of recidivism. The lower number of repeat offenses in the EQUIP group is discussed.

Moral cognitive processes explaining antisocial behavior in young adolescents

This study addresses the longitudinal relationships between three kinds of moral cognitions — self-serving cognitive distortions, moral judgment, perception of community — and antisocial behavior in young adolescents. Aims were to gain insight in direct and indirect relationships, stability, and causality. The sample included 724 students (M age = 14.52, SD =.67) from prevocational secondary schools in the Netherlands. Both self reports and teacher reports were filled out twice, with a time-interval of four months. Students exhibited high rates of aggression, vandalism, and stealing, indicating that they form an at-risk group for antisocial behavior. Positive associations were found between self-serving cognitive distortions and antisocial behavior and between moral judgment and perception of community, while negative associations were found between perception of community and both self-serving cognitive distortions and antisocial behavior. Longitudinal structural equation models established a moderate to high stability of the moral cognitions and antisocial behavior, and indicated that self-reported antisocial behavior primarily preceded self-serving cognitive distortions. Although moderation by sex and ethnicity was established, differences between the groups appeared to be modest. The consequences of these findings for prevention and treatment of antisocial behavior are discussed.

Hierarchical structure of moral stages assessed by a sorting task

Following criticism of Kohlbergs theory of moral judgment, an empirical re-examination of hierarchical stage structure was desirable. Utilizing Piagets concept of reflective abstraction as a basis, the hierarchical stage structure was investigated using a new method. Study participants (553 Dutch university students and 196 Russian high school students) sorted statements in terms of moral sophistication. These statements were typical for the different stages of moral development as defined in Colby and Kohlberg. The rank ordering performed by participants confirmed the hypotheses. First, despite large individual variation, the ordering of the statements that gave the best fit revealed that each consecutive Kohlbergian stage was perceived to be more morally sophisticated. Second, the lower the stage as represented by the items, the higher the agreement among the participants in their ranking; and the higher the stage as represented by the items, the lower the agreement among the participants in the rankings. Moreover, the pivotal point depended on the developmental characteristics of the sample, which demonstrated a developmental effect: The ordering of statements representative of moral stages below ones own current stage was straightforward, whereas the ordering of statements above ones own stage was difficult. It was concluded that the Piagetian idea of reflective abstraction can be used successfully to operationalize and measure the hierarchical nature of moral development.

A meta-analysis on cognitive distortions and externalizing problem behavior : associations, moderators, and treatment effectiveness

Cognitive distortions are an important focus in many investigations and treatments of externalizing problem behavior, such as antisocial, delinquent, and aggressive behavior. Yet the overall strength of the association between cognitive distortions and externalizing behavior is unknown. Furthermore, it is unknown whether interventions can effectively reduce cognitive distortions and subsequently externalizing behavior. To fill these gaps, we conducted a meta-analysis of 71 studies on 20,685 participants. Results showed a medium to large effect size (d = .70) for the association between cognitive distortions and externalizing behavior. Interventions had a small effect (d = .27) on reducing cognitive distortions. In a subset of intervention studies that incorporated both cognitive distortions and externalizing behavior, however, neither cognitive distortions nor externalizing behavior were effectively reduced. Hence, although cognitive distortions are substantially linked to externalizing behavior and interventions can reduce cognitive distortions, a subsequent reduction in externalizing behavior remains to be demonstrated.

Can at-risk young adolescents be popular and anti-social? Sociometric status groups, anti-social behaviour, gender and ethnic background

This study aimed to extend the understanding of anti-social behaviour and its association with popularity and sociometric status in a sample of at-risk adolescents from diverse ethnic backgrounds (n = 1491, average age 14.7 years). Both overt and covert types of anti-social behaviour were used to distinguish subgroups. These subgroups were created on the basis of anti-social behaviour profile scores, using Latent Class Analysis. Moderator effects of gender and ethnic background were investigated using a log-linear analysis. The main finding was that each sociometric status group consisted of subgroups that differed in terms of prevalence of self-reported anti-social behaviour. At-risk young adolescents who reported involvement in anti-social behaviour appeared in every status group, including the popular group. Implications for school prevention programmes for anti-social behaviour are discussed.

Oppositional defiance, moral reasoning and moral value evaluation as predictors of self-reported juvenile delinquency

This study investigated the relationships among oppositional defiant attitudes, moral reasoning, moral value evaluation and self-reported delinquent behaviour in adolescents (N = 351, MAGE = 13.8 years, SDAGE = 1.1). Of particular interest were the moderating effects of age, educational environment and gender on the relationship between moral reasoning and delinquency. The results indicate that oppositional defiance was a strong positive correlate of delinquent behaviour, particularly in late adolescence. Furthermore, moral reasoning was modestly and negatively related to delinquency, but only for males. No moderating effects for educational environment were observed. Moreover, moral value evaluation was uncorrelated with delinquent behaviour when controlling for other sociomoral processes. These findings invite further research on the relationship between attitudes and behaviour, with respect to causal links and practical applications within behavioural interventions.