brain plasticity: moral training (Introduction)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Thursday, June 04, 2015, 18:23 (3461 days ago) @ David Turell

There are so many things wrong with this that it is hard to no where to start:- 
> "A total of 67 MBA students were administered the Defining Issue Test to determine which pattern of thought or behavior, known as cognitive schema, each student used when reasoning about moral issues. -The sample size is too small, which is guaranteed to produce something 'statistically significant'-
>In it, students were presented with complex moral dilemmas such as medical assisted suicide and asked them to choose the relevance of each of 12 given rationales. Based on the results, subjects were then assigned to one of seven schema types which represent increasing levels of moral development. -So they are assigned schema based on WHOSE determination of moral development? Is morality objective now? Is it measurable? Quantifiable?->Students then underwent MRI scanning to investigate differences in gray matter volume between students who reached the post-conventional level of moral reasoning compared to those who have not reached that level yet.
> -What is 'Post-conventional level of moral reasoning'?-
> "Subjects also underwent personality testing and were placed into one of the following categories: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Analysis showed higher scores in openness to experience and lower scores in neuroticism for participants at the more advanced levels of moral development.-There is very little correlation there, and that correlation MIGHT be more related to the fact that they are all MBA students. You know, birds of a feather and all that. Those pursuing MBA's are more likely to be the type of same type of personalities, so any correlation they may be seeing is more likely due to the nature of the participants rather than any correlation to the test.

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What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.