Which of the following statements correctly pairs a theorist with their primary contribution?

• A. Kohlberg — Stages of Moral Development
• B. Gardner — Emotional Quotient
• C. Piaget — Object Relations psychology
• D. Skinner — Gestalt Psychology

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is recognizing who mapped out how moral reasoning changes as people grow. Kohlberg is known for proposing a theory of moral development that describes stages of moral reasoning across three levels—preconventional, conventional, and postconventional—each level representing increasingly abstract justifications for one’s actions. This emphasis on the progression and quality of moral reasoning, rather than just behavior or emotion, is his defining contribution to psychology and education.

Gardner’s fame comes from the theory of multiple intelligences, expanding what counts as “intelligence.” The term Emotional Quotient belongs more to emotional intelligence, not to Gardner’s main framework. Piaget is celebrated for stages of cognitive development and concepts like object permanence, not object relations psychology, which is rooted in psychoanalytic theory. Skinner is central to behaviorism and operant conditioning, not Gestalt psychology, which focuses on holistic perceptual organization.

So Kohlberg’s stages of moral development best matches the described contribution.