Measuring moral thinking from a neo-Kohlbergian perspective

Abstract

The neo-Kohlbergian model revises and extends Lawrence Kohlberg’s model of moral reasoning development to better reflect advances in research and theory. In moving from Kohlberg’s global stage model to a multi-process description of moral functioning, these modifications are most evident in the ways in which moral thinking is described, measured, and interpreted. This article highlights the two primary measurement systems of moral thinking associated with the neo-Kohlbergian perspective: measures of moral judgment development and the more recently identified intermediate concepts measures. In describing both systems, attention is given to the nature of the information supplied and evidence used to support them.