Book Reviews by John Gibbs
Fairness and Trust in Developmental Psychology
Fairness or justice is central to moral development. A universal and impartial point of view on f... more Fairness or justice is central to moral development. A universal and impartial point of view on fairness has been considered as the final stage of life-span trajectories on moral development. Human rights are viewed as the core of such a fully developed morality. Although the study of fairness implies paying attention to trust, the relationship between fairness and trust has seldom been studied empirically. Fairness and trust are both necessary for and stimulated by cooperation. Fairness depends upon the development of social perspective-taking skills; empathy refers to the affective side of these skills. According to Gibbs’ developmental theory of moral motivation, the cognitive judgment of fairness and the affective response of empathy may both become a primary moral motive. Breaches of fairness or empathy can threaten or undermine interpersonal or social trust. In turn, disturbances in the development of trust in early childhood may have long-term negative consequences for the development of social perspective-taking skills and thus affect moral motivation.
Papers by John Gibbs
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 1997
Expressions of surprise and puzzlement lend a ring of authen ticity to self-reports of near-death... more Expressions of surprise and puzzlement lend a ring of authen ticity to self-reports of near-death experiences (NDEs). In the autoscopic com ponent of the NDE, experiencers have reported surprise upon identifying an observed body as their own; upon finding that they are unable to affect earthly events or people; and upon experiencing extraordinary visual and mobile abilities. In the transcendental component, experiencers are often sur prised that their "eyes" do not hurt in the presence of an intense light, and that deceased loved ones come to them, particularly in those cases in which the subject reports the presence of a loved one whose recent death was not known to the subject. Surprise typically indicates the discovery of novel fea tures of reality during the cognition-reality interplay that makes learning possible. If at least some NDE surprises are discoveries in a nonsubjective sense, then that cognition-reality interplay can continue during moments near death as subjects learn that self and reality must be understood to include a nonmaterial realm. A surprise is a reaction to an unexpected or extraordinary occur rence. According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, to be "surprised" is to be struck "with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment," or "to discover suddenly and unexpectedly" (Flexner, , p. 1915)). A surprise that is a discovery implies that one has
Science and Engineering Ethics, Jul 15, 2015
In the world of research, compliance with research regulations is not the same as ethics, but it ... more In the world of research, compliance with research regulations is not the same as ethics, but it is closely related. One could say that compliance is how most societies with advanced research programs operationalize many ethical obligations. This paper reports on the development of the How I Think about Research (HIT-Res) questionnaire, which is an adaptation of the How I Think (HIT) questionnaire that examines the use of cognitive distortions to justify antisocial behaviors. Such an adaptation was justified based on a review of the literature on mechanisms of moral disengagement and self-serving biases, which are used by individuals with normal personalities in a variety of contexts, including research. The HIT-Res adapts all items to refer to matters of research compliance and integrity rather than antisocial behaviors. The HIT-Res was administered as part of a battery of tests to 300 researchers and trainees funded by the US National Institutes of Health. The HIT-Res demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .92). Construct validity was established by the correlation of the HIT-Res with measures of moral disengagement (r = .75), cynicism (r = .51), and professional decision-making in research (r = -.36). The HIT-Res will enrich the set of assessment tools available to instructors in the responsible conduct of research and to researchers who seek to understand the factors that influence research integrity.
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 1999
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2005
In his commentary, Michael Sabom contends that my argument falls short of demonstrating a congrue... more In his commentary, Michael Sabom contends that my argument falls short of demonstrating a congruence between near-death research findings and John Shelby Spong's spiritual view of humanity, continuity view of Jesus, and call for a new Christianity. Sabom is correct that near-death research sheds no direct light on Jesus' true identity and that research find ings regarding near-death experiences (NDEs) should not be used to promote religious agendas. Nonetheless, I suggest in this reply that the NDE's ontological and spiritual significance extends to religious issues and raises questions relevant to whether near-death experiencers and Jesus have spirituality in common.
Psicothema, 2013
The How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q) was developed to measure the main categories of self-servin... more The How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q) was developed to measure the main categories of self-serving cognitive distortions. The present study analyses the psychometric properties of the HIT-Q Spanish-Version. The sample consisted of 1.490 Spanish-speaking adolescents recruited from various schools in Madrid (Spain). The participants had a mean age of 15.37 years (SD = 1.67). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed that the underlying structure of the HIT-Q was best explained by a six-factor solution (Self-Centred, Blaming Others, Minimizing/Mislabelling, Assuming the Worst, Anomalous Responses and Positive Fillers). After examination of its psychometric properties, it was concluded that the Spanish version of the HIT-Q is a reliable and valid measure of self-serving cognitive distortions in Spanish adolescents.
Personality and Individual Differences, 2011
The aim of the present study was to assess the relative contributions self-serving cognitive dist... more The aim of the present study was to assess the relative contributions self-serving cognitive distortions and psychopathic traits to adolescent antisocial behavior. Participants were 972 high-school students who completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that selfserving cognitive distortions, psychopathic traits, as well as their interaction term were significant predictors of antisocial behavior in both genders after adjustment for the main other cognitive, psychopathological and sociofamilial variables. High levels of self-serving cognitive distortions were associated with more extensive antisocial behavior among participants with higher scores on psychopathic traits. This result may have implications for prevention and treatment.
L'Encéphale, 2013
higher scores of self-serving cognitive distortions Nas et al., 2008 [10-12]). Conclusion. -The p... more higher scores of self-serving cognitive distortions Nas et al., 2008 [10-12]). Conclusion. -The present study showed that the French version of the HIT-Q presents good psychometric properties.
… : Ética, Universidad, Democracia, 2010
En primer lugar, este artículo ofrece una breve sinopsis del acervo disponible en el área del des... more En primer lugar, este artículo ofrece una breve sinopsis del acervo disponible en el área del desarrollo moral, una visión que combina las contribuciones de Lawrence Kohlberg y de Martin L. Hoffman a esta área. Luego, reconociendo que para explicar el comportamiento moral se necesitan constructos o variables adicionales, se centra sobre los avances que yo y un buen número de colegas y colaboradores hemos alcanzado en cuanto a la comprensión y tratamiento del comportamiento antisocial en jóvenes. Esto incluye una descripción detallada de algunas características comunes básicas de estos jóvenes: retrasos en el desarrollo del juicio moral; distorsiones cognitivas interesadas o egoístas (culpar a otros, asumir lo peor, minimizar/tergiversar); y deficiencias en cuanto a habilidades sociales. También se incluye la discusión de un caso ilustrativo; información sobre un instrumento de medida -el cuestionario Cómo Pienso (HIT); e información sobre un exitoso enfoque de tratamiento, el Programa EQUIPO. Finalmente, se subrayan las profundas conexiones teóricas y prácticas entre la percepción moral verídica, y el tratamiento del comportamiento antisocial a través de los principios de la confianza, la justicia y la democracia.
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2017
The work of researcher Jim Tucker and regression therapist Brian Weiss on past-life memories sugg... more The work of researcher Jim Tucker and regression therapist Brian Weiss on past-life memories suggests a transcendent or non-reductionist view of human life. In this view, mental life or consciousness does not entirely reduce to the neural activity of the brain, and bodily death involves a return to a nonphysical realm. This view is also suggested from other phenomena such as near-death experiences. The transcendent view from past-life memories entails two renditions. One rendition derives from Tucker's-and late senior colleague Ian Stevenson's-empirical verifications of children's past-life claims. Weiss's psychotherapy-based rendition is more impressionistic and subject to the vulnerabilities of the hypnotic method-as noted by both Tucker and Stevenson. Both renditions must contend with the theodicic problem (intensely rendered by Harold Kushner). Many questions remain. Nonetheless, Tucker's, Stevenson's, Weiss's, and other authors' related work may suffice to support a transcendent understanding of human life.
Moral judgment, self-serving cognitive distortions, and peer bullying among secondary school adolescents
Journal of Moral Education, May 17, 2023
This study examined whether and how moral judgment components (moral reasoning and moral value ev... more This study examined whether and how moral judgment components (moral reasoning and moral value evaluation) combined with self-serving cognitive distortions are related to peer bullying (including associated participant roles) among adolescents. A total of 522 adolescents (49% males) from grades 1 to 4 of three public secondary schools in Spain (Mage = 14.6 years, range 12–18 years) completed questionnaires on moral judgment, self-serving cognitive distortions, and bullying. Bullies and bully-victims showed the lowest levels of moral judgment and the highest levels of self-serving cognitive distortions. In contrast, moral judgment was highest and self-serving cognitive distortions lowest for defenders and bystanders. Self-serving cognitive distortions mediated completely the relationship between moral reasoning and bullying, and partially between moral evaluation and bullying. Multigroup analyses indicated that the strength of the relationships between the moral judgment components and self-serving cognitive distortions varied across adolescents’ role. Anti-bullying intervention programs should include the facilitation of moral reasoning and valuing as well as the reduction of self-serving cognitive distortions.
Is Moral Judgement Maturity Merely the Opposite of Self-Serving Cognitive Distortions or Moral Disengagement?
European Journal of Developmental Psychology
Are moral judgement maturity and self-serving cognitive distortions or moral disengagement merely... more Are moral judgement maturity and self-serving cognitive distortions or moral disengagement merely opposites, as recently claimed? Self-serving cognitive distortions and moral disengagement constitute (more or less interchangeable) neutralization techniques; they stem from the same theoretical background and refer to the same cognitive processes. In contrast, a distinct theoretical background provides the context for moral judgement. To examine the empirical relationships between the constructs, a systematic search was conducted, encompassing 17 studies from 8 countries. Moral judgement and self-serving cognitive distortions or moral disengagement related inversely only moderately in studies of offenders (externalizing behavioural disorders) and non-offenders. Moreover, self-serving cognitive distortions and moral disengagement correlated much more strongly with externalizing behavioural disorders than did moral judgement. Also differing were relationships with demographic and other variables such as empathy. We conclude that both moral judgement and self-serving cognitive distortions or moral disengagement should be assessed and utilized in studies and intervention programmes addressing externalizing behaviour.
Sociomoral Reflection Measure--Short Form Objective
PsycTESTS Dataset
Two of the most well-known and widely used instruments to measure moral reasoning in adolescents ... more Two of the most well-known and widely used instruments to measure moral reasoning in adolescents and others are the SRM-SF (Basinger, Gibbs, & Fuller, 1995; Gibbs, Basinger, & Fuller, 1992; Gibbs, Basinger, Grime, & Snarey, 2007) and the SROM-SF (Basinger & Gibbs, 1987; Beem, Brugman, Høst & Tavecchio, 2004). The SRM-SF is a dilemma-free interview measure, whereas the SROM-SF questionnaire includes two moral dilemmas. The SRM-SF elicits the production of moral reasoning, whereas the SROM-SF offers stage-typed reasons that persons may recognize and select as close to their own way of reasoning. The SRM-SFO is a new assessment method for use with adolescents and others (Basinger, Brugman, & Gibbs, 2007). The SRM-SFO was constructed to combine the best of both (SRM-SF and SROM-SF) instruments. Like the SRM-SF, it has a dilemma-free format, which saves a lot of reading time; and, like the SROM-SF, it has objective stage-keyed items, which saves a lot of coding time. That is, the SRM-SFO can be easily and quickly (10-15 minutes) administered in large sample research even with young adolescents, delinquents or other adolescents with an educational delay (Beerthuizen, Brugman, & Basinger, 2013).
Assessing Moral Judgment Maturity Using the Sociomoral Reflection Measure – Short Form Objective
European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2021
: The Sociomoral Reflection Measure – Short Form Objective (SRM-SFO) aims to assess the reasoning... more : The Sociomoral Reflection Measure – Short Form Objective (SRM-SFO) aims to assess the reasoning and valuing components of moral judgment. A new index for measuring moral reasoning is introduced. The first study assessed construct validity by examining the structure and invariance of moral reasoning and moral value evaluation in community adolescents and adults from The Netherlands ( N = 1,583). Factor analyses supported the unidimensionality of both components. Measurement invariance was found across age groups, gender, and educational levels. Convergent validity was supported by positive relationships between moral reasoning and age in males and between moral reasoning and higher educational levels. Divergent validity was supported by the weak relationship of both components with social desirability and their negative relationship with self-centered orientation and self-reported antisocial/delinquent behavior. The second study included incarcerated juvenile delinquents ( N = 246). Measurement invariance was found for both components across delinquency groups. Furthermore, community participants reporting no antisocial/delinquent behavior showed higher levels on both components than community participants reporting antisocial/delinquent behavior and juvenile delinquents. The SRM-SFO provides acceptable to good psychometric properties for assessing the reasoning and valuing components of moral judgment. Its practical benefits support its use in large-scale research from young adolescence onward.
Fairness and Trust in Developmental Psychology
Women and Children as Victims and Offenders: Background, Prevention, Reintegration, 2016
Fairness or justice is central to moral development. A universal and impartial point of view on f... more Fairness or justice is central to moral development. A universal and impartial point of view on fairness has been considered as the final stage of life-span trajectories on moral development. Human rights are viewed as the core of such a fully developed morality. Although the study of fairness implies paying attention to trust, the relationship between fairness and trust has seldom been studied empirically. Fairness and trust are both necessary for and stimulated by cooperation. Fairness depends upon the development of social perspective-taking skills; empathy refers to the affective side of these skills. According to Gibbs’ developmental theory of moral motivation, the cognitive judgment of fairness and the affective response of empathy may both become a primary moral motive. Breaches of fairness or empathy can threaten or undermine interpersonal or social trust. In turn, disturbances in the development of trust in early childhood may have long-term negative consequences for the development of social perspective-taking skills and thus affect moral motivation.
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2014
Cognitive distortions are an important focus in many investigations and treatments of externalizi... more 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 externa...
Guest editors' introduction: The EQUIP program: Towards and evidence-based program for the prevention and reduction of antisocial behavior
This issue of the JRCE is devoted to theEQUIPping Youth to Help One Anothertraining program. The ... more This issue of the JRCE is devoted to theEQUIPping Youth to Help One Anothertraining program. The EQUIP programintends to teach individuals with antisocialbehavior problems to think and act moreresponsibly and to help one another in think-ing and acting more responsibly (Gibbs, Pot-ter, & Goldstein, 1995). EQUIP combinescognitive behavior therapy with a peer groupapproach. The main goal of this issue is tocontribute to answering the question whetherEQUIP is an evidence-based program. Todetermine whether a program is evi-dence-based, the following criteria need to bedefined and assessed: (1) the target group ofthe program; (2) the program goals; (3) theconceptual framework underlying the pro-gram; (4) the method; (5) the program effec-tiveness; and (6) the program integrity;monitoring the quality of the treatment deliv-ered (Weisz, Sandler, Durlak, & Anton,2005). The five articles in this issue presentextensive information on these criteria with afocus on effectiveness. Here we introducethese criteria in the context of the EQUIPprogram.
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 1999
This article evaluates Harold Kushner's original and reconstruct ed perspectives on God and the t... more This article evaluates Harold Kushner's original and reconstruct ed perspectives on God and the theodicic problem on the basis of research on the near-death experience (NDE) and related phenomena. In response to a per sonal tragedy, Kushner reconstructed his thinking about God and tragedy from his original Causation-Power perspective to an Inspiration-Love perspective. The Causation-Power perspective posits that God causes human events and that tragic events do not actually contradict God's purpose or will, although tragic events may result from the human freedom to disobey God and suffer punitive consequences. In the Inspiration-Love perspective, human freedom ex pands to mean that God does not cause all events: God does not cause tragedy, suffers with the sufferer, and can intervene against tragic events only by in spiring people to cope with tragedy and care for others. Although the research findings are consistent with Kushner's emphasis on love and inspiration, the theme of divine power and purpose is also evident. Hence, Kushner should not have rejected entirely his early (Causation-Power) perspective. Identified in the research are forms of "inspiration" that Kushner did not take into ac count in his reconstructed (Inspiration-Love) view. The Causation-Power and Inspiration-Love perspectives seem incompatible and neither alone solves the theodicic problem. Nonetheless, they do complement one another; a resolution would permit an integrative understanding of God and tragedy. In 1966, a young rabbi named Harold Kushner learned that his three year-old son had the terminal disease progeria, or accelerated aging.
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2010
This review supports cardiologist Pim van Lommel's continuity claim for human existence in his re... more This review supports cardiologist Pim van Lommel's continuity claim for human existence in his recently published book Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience (2010). Van Lommel and colleagues (van Lommel, van Wees, Meyers, & Elfferich, 2001) studied NDEs among 344 Dutch hospital patients who had been resuscitated following cardiac arrest. From their and others' NDE research findings (e.g., accurate perceptions during the arrest period), van Lommel and colleagues concluded that mental activity can take place even in the absence of cerebral function. Extrapolating from this conclusion, van Lommel claimed in Consciousness Beyond Life a fundamental continuity for individual human existence: that death and birth mark not final limits but instead the transition from one state of consciousness to another. In the course of making his continuity claim, van Lommel referred to other topics such as deathbed visions and past-life memories. In addition to reviewing NDE research, this article reviews research and illustrative responses pertaining to these related phenomena. A convergence of corroborative evidence is consistent with van Lommel's continuity claim.
Sexual Abuse, 2008
This study investigated the scope of cognitive distortions and their relationship to empathy amon... more This study investigated the scope of cognitive distortions and their relationship to empathy among adolescent sex offenders. Self-report measures of sex-specific and generic self-serving cognitive distortions as well as empathy were administered to 175 male sex offenders aged 12 to 20 incarcerated at a juvenile correctional facility. Generic distortions (e.g., attribution of carelessness to theft victims) were elevated and correlated with sex-specific distortions (e.g., attribution of promiscuity to rape victims). Sex-specific and generic distortions were each inversely associated with unique variance in empathy. Relationships of the distortions to particular contexts of victimization and empathic distress (i.e., for their own sexual abuse victim, another offender's sexual abuse victim, or an accident victim) were also explored. Results suggested that adolescent sex offenders' self-serving cognitive distortions may pervasively neutralize concerns for victims and, therefore, ...
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Book Reviews by John Gibbs
Papers by John Gibbs