ABSTRACT
This chapter provides detailed and specific coverage of the assessment procedure from a developmental perspective. Developmental theory is revisited and integrated with clinical assessment procedures as a way to obtain a maximally effective clinical evaluation. The foundation for cognitive developmental theory is laid by A. Piaget. He postulates that over the life span an individual undergoes various changes in ability to comprehend the world and the relationships that they encounter in it. Much of the research concerning the utility of cognitive developmental theory is focused on functioning on intellectual tasks that are assumed to be indicative of capacity to function in the world. Cognitive developmental theory has also been applied to the area of moral reasoning. Several of the basic tenets of cognitive developmental theory have special relevance for working with gang adolescents. Moral reasoning research offers a developmental scheme for critiquing the quality of an individual's moral decision making.
