ABSTRACT
Within theories of cognitive development the role of the family has been rather neglected. In contrast to this we will address some of Piaget's ideas about the importance of certain aspects of family interaction that influence morality. This influence, we maintain, pertains not only to moral development but also to moral commitment or reliability, an aspect of moral consciousness which has received much less attention in cognitive research. After an introductory theoretical discussion we will use our own data to show that different aspects of the intrafamilial interaction are responsible for moral development and moral reliability.
