Who researched the stages of Moral Development?

• A. Kohlberg
• B. Piaget
• C. Skinner
• D. Chomsky

Answer: (A)

Moral development is understood as a progression of increasingly sophisticated reasoning about right and wrong. Lawrence Kohlberg is the researcher who developed the stage-based theory of moral development. He expanded on Jean Piaget’s early ideas by outlining a clear sequence of stages divided into three levels—pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional—each with two stages. Through interviews and moral dilemmas, such as the Heinz dilemma, Kohlberg showed that people reason at different levels of abstraction as they age and gain cognitive ability, moving from rules about obedience and self-interest toward principles of justice and universal ethics. This focus on how moral reasoning itself becomes more complex and principled through distinct stages is why Kohlberg is the best answer. Piaget laid the groundwork for moral development, but Kohlberg specifically researched and articulated the stage progression; Skinner centers on behaviorism, and Chomsky on linguistics.