Reflective Thinking as a Psychological Resource for Individual Moral Development in the Modern Information Society

The article examines the relationship between an individual’s cognitive development and the normative-value and instrumental conditions of culture in the context of moral consciousness. It explores the impact of digital culture on cognitive functions and moral cognition. It is noted that modern digital tools for information processing produce a dual effect: on the one hand, they facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and take on a significant portion of the cognitive load when solving complex problems; on the other hand, they can reduce motivation for independent critical analysis of information and the improvement of epistemic skills, which may affect the specific nature of judgments made and decisions taken. In terms of theory, the novelty of this study lies in its substantiation of the integration of K. Stanovich’s tripartite model of mind with classical theories of cognitive moral development (J. Piaget, L. Kohlberg), in which reflective thinking acts as the main driver of moral development and an important psychological resource for adaptation and problem-solving in the modern society.