Measuring moral development: Stages as markers along a latent developmental dimension

Moral development is an important topic of study. The Kohlbergian tradition has long been the dominant view in the study of moral development (Colby et al., 1987; Kohlberg, Levine, & Hewer, 1983; Puka, 1994). Kohlberg’s theory of moral development has also played an important role in theoretical, philosophical, and ethical discussions (e.g., Edelstein & NunnerWinkler, 1986; Kohlberg, 1981). Moral development has an important place in the history of the field of (developmental) psychology and is covered in most handbooks about developmental psychology (e.g., Berk, 2006; Turiel, 1998, 2006).