Professor Nicholas Emler


Emeritus Professor of Psychology

Academic and research departments

School of Psychology.

Publications

N Emler (2005)Life course transitions and social identity change. In . (Eds). . (pp. )., In: P Levy, P Ghisetta, JM Le Goff, D Spini, E Widmer (eds.), Towards an interdisciplinary perspective on the life coursepp. 203-221 Elsevier
NP EMLER (1978)CHILDRENS DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF INFERENCES ABOUT INTENTIONS AND MOTIVES IN MORAL JUDGMENT, In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY48(JUN)pp. 201-209 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
N Emler (2009)Delinquents as minority groups, In: F Butera, J Levine (eds.), Coping with minority group status:repsonses to exclusion and inclusion Cambridge University Press
NP EMLER, G VALIANT (1979)SOCIAL-INTERACTION AND COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT - FURTHER EVIDENCE ON THE COGNITIVE CONFLICT PARADIGM, In: BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY32(MAY)pp. 218-218 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
N Emler, H Tarry, AS James (2007)Post-conventional moral reasoning and reputation, In: Journal of Research in Personality41(1)pp. 76-89

Kohlberg's theory of moral development conceives conventional and post-conventional moral reasoning as consecutive levels in a developmental sequence. This claim was examined in terms of the relationship between preference for these two styles of reasoning on the one hand and moral identity as perceived by others (reputation) and as self-perceived and on the other. Participants (n = 172), in groups of four mutual acquaintances, provided ratings of one another's standing, and estimates of their own standing and reputation, on four trait dimensions (moral responsibility, consideration for others, respect for authority, and political orientation). Post-conventional moral reasoning, assessed using the Defining Issues Test, was not significantly related either to reputation or to self-rating on any dimension except political orientation. Conventional reasoning was related to politics though in the opposite direction, but additionally to both self- and other-ratings of moral responsibility and to the corresponding ratings of respect for authority. Findings do not support the view that the conventional/post-conventional distinction in moral reasoning is a developmental difference. An alternative proposed is that these are independent domains of moral thought, related to quite different aspects of social behaviour and political attitudes. (C) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

H Tarry, N Emler (2007)Attitudes, values and moral reasoning as predictors of delinquency, In: British Journal of Developmental Psychology25pp. 169-183

Attitudes to institutional authority, strength of support for moral values and maturity of socio-moral reasoning have all been identified as potential predictors of adolescent delinquency. In a sample of 12-15-year-old boys (N = 789), after checking for effects of age, IQ, social background and ethnicity, self-reported delinquency was significantly and independently predicted by attitudes to authority (r = -.47) and moral values (r = -.27), but not by a structural measure of moral reasoning level (r = -.04). The findings argue for closer attention to the developmental determinants of attitudes to institutional authority and strength of moral value commitments than these have received hitherto. On the other hand, lack of an association between moral reasoning level and delinquent conduct does leave unanswered questions about the consequences of this kind of moral competence.

N Emler, S Reicher (2005)Delinquency: cause or consequence of social exclusion?, In: J Marques, M Hogg (eds.), The social psychology of inclusion and exclusion.pp. 211-241 Psychology Press
E Estévez, NP Emler (2010)A Structural Modelling Approach to Predict Adolescent Offending Behaviour from Family, School and Community Factors, In: European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research16(4)pp. 207-220
N Emler, H Tarry (2007)Clutching at straws: Is it time to abandon the moral judgment deficit explanation for delinquency?, In: British Journal of Developmental Psychology25pp. 191-195

We respond to the commentary by Brusten, Stams, and Gibbs (2007) on the research by Tarry and Emler (2007), arguing for the appropriateness of key design decisions studying delinquency as assessed by self-report in a sample of 12- to 15-year-old males. We argue that 'known-group' methods for assessing involvement in delinquency, the major alternatives to self-report, produce divergent results with respect to moral judgment level because these methods are confounded with other influences on moral judgment level, in particular education.

N Emler (2004)Moral character, In: BW instead, W Jones (eds.), Personality: Contemporary theory and research Wadsworth
NP EMLER, M WINTON, N HEATHER (1977)MORAL REASONING AND DELINQUENCY - SOME LIMITATIONS OF KOHLBERGS THEORY, In: BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY30(MAY)pp. 161-161 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
N Emler, A St. James (2004)Moral judgment and reasoning: A social psychological perspective, In: New Review of Social Psychology3pp. 112-120
NP EMLER (1984)MORAL STAGES - A CURRENT FORMULATION AND A RESPONSE TO CRITICS - KOHLBERG,L, LEVINE,C, HEWER,A, In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY75(NOV)pp. 531-532 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
E Estevez, NP Emler (2011)Assessing the links among adolescent and youth offending, antisocial behaviour, victimization, drug use, and gender, In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY11(2)pp. 269-289 ASOCIACION ESPANOLA PSICOLOGIA CONDUCTUAL
N Emler (2008)Delinquency as a response to exclusion from justice, In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY43(3-4)pp. 12-12 PSYCHOLOGY PRESS

This study analyzed the role of different but interrelated variables in the family and school contexts in relation to problems of violent behavior at school during adolescence. Participants were 1,068 students aged 11 to 16 (47% male) drawn from secondary schools in the Valencian Community (Spain). Statistical analyses were carried out using structural equation modeling. The model accounted for 32% of the variance in school violence. Results showed a direct association between quality of communication with father and teacher's expectations of the student with the adolescent's involvement in violent behavior at school. Moreover, findings showed indirect paths by which adolescents' selfconcept (family and school domains), acceptance by peers, and attitude toward authority, seemed to be influenced by the quality of interactions with parent and teachers, and also were closely associated with violent behavior at school. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research on adolescent psychosocial adjustment and behavioral problems at school.

N Emler, A St. James (2006)Le raisonnement moral et le jugement moral: Une perspective de psychologie sociale, In: C Blatier, N Przygotski (eds.), Psychologie morale. De Boeck
NP EMLER (1985)MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL KNOWLEDGE, In: UNIVERSITIES QUARTERLY-CULTURE EDUCATION & SOCIETY39(2)pp. 176-186 BLACKWELL PUBL LTD
N Emler, J Dickinson (2005)Children’s understanding of social structure. In (Eds.). . (pp. )., In: M Barrett, E Buchanan-Barrow (eds.), Children’s understanding of societypp. 169-197 Psychology Press

This study analyzed the role of different but interrelated variables in the family and school contexts in relation to problems of violent behavior at school during adolescence. Participants were 1,068 students aged 11 to 16 (47% male) drawn from secondary schools in the Valencian Community (Spain). Statistical analyses were carried out using structural equation modeling. The model accounted for 32% of the variance in school violence. Results showed a direct association between quality of communication with father and teacher's expectations of the student with the adolescent's involvement in violent behavior at school. Moreover, findings showed indirect paths by which adolescents' self-concept (family and school domains), acceptance by peers, and attitude toward authority, seemed to be influenced by the quality of interactions with parent and teachers, and also were closely associated with violent behavior at school. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research on adolescent psychosocial adjustment and behavioral problems at school.

G Musitu Ochoa, E Estevez Lopez, NP Emler (2007)Adjustment problems in the family and school contexts, attitude towards authority, and violent behavior at school in adolescence, In: ADOLESCENCE42(168)pp. 779-794 LIBRA PUBLISHERS INC
NP EMLER (1983)ATTITUDINAL AND INTERPERSONAL FACTORS IN JUVENILE-DELINQUENCY, In: BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY36(MAY)pp. A55-A55 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
NP EMLER, N HEATHER, M WINTON (1978)DELINQUENCY AND DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL REASONING, In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY17(NOV)pp. 325-331 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
RT HOGAN, NP EMLER (1978)BIASES IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGY, In: SOCIAL RESEARCH45(3)pp. 478-534 NEW SCH SOC RES
NP EMLER, JP RUSHTON (1974)COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS IN CHILDRENS GENEROSITY, In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY13(SEP)pp. 277-281 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOC
NP EMLER (1978)MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR - THEORY, RESEARCH AND SOCIAL-ISSUES - LICKONA,T, In: JOURNAL OF MORAL EDUCATION8(1)pp. 55-56 CARFAX PUBL LTD