ABSTRACT
In earlier chapters, theories of cognitive development and the development of measured intelligence were reviewed. In addition to the development of measured intelligence, another aspect of cognitive development is the development of moral understanding. In the same way that children try to make sense of the world generally, they also try to decide what is right and what is wrong, this is known as moral judgement. Children also have to decide how to behave in a moral situation, this is known as moral behaviour. Moral judgement develops and changes as the child grows. There is a link with general cognitive development in that certain moral judgements require complicated thinking. It is generally expected that children will develop their morality, and that this development is dependent on their general cognitive development and maturation processes. In this chapter, two of the main theories in this area, those of Piaget and Kohlberg, will be reviewed. Then an evaluation of these theories will
be presented and then the discussion of moral development will continue making reference to Eisenberg’s theory of pro-social reasoning. To conclude, a discussion of the relationship between gender and moral development, and culture and moral development, will be presented.
