A test of the effects of reinforcement and cognitive conflict on moral judgment

This is a thesis dealing with moral judgment in adolescents. Specifically, the study tests the efficacy of cognitive conflict and reinforcement as agents of moral growth in adolescents. The purpose of the investigation is to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for development in moral reasoning. Kohlberg (1958) has presented a systematic theory of moral growth in children, adolescents, and adults. He defined moral judgment as the child\u27s use and interpretation of rules in conflict situations and his reasons for moral actionsf (Kohlberg, 1964, p. 394). Moral judgment is not correct knowledge of rules or conventional belief in them. This general definition gives rise to the developmental sequence of moral judgment offered by Kohlberg (1958). Specifically, his typology consists of three distinct levels, each containing two interrelated stages