Famous for his theory of moral development in children; used moral dilemmas in assessment. Which figure is described?

• A. Lawrence Kohlberg
• B. Carol Gilligan
• C. Jean Piaget
• D. Erik Erikson

Answer: (A)

The main concept tested is how people justify their moral choices, not just what they decide to do. Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory that moral reasoning matures through a series of stages, moving from concrete, rule-based thinking to abstract principles of justice. To study this, he used moral dilemmas—famous examples like the Heinz dilemma, where a person must decide whether it’s acceptable to steal to save a life—and looked at the reasons people give instead of just their answers. This approach revealed a progression through six stages across three levels: preconventional, conventional, and postconventional, illustrating how moral reasoning becomes more sophisticated over time.

This is why Kohlberg fits the description: he’s the figure best known for a theory of moral development in children and for employing dilemmas to probe the reasoning behind moral choices. For context, Piaget laid earlier groundwork on moral development, but Kohlberg expanded it into a stage-based framework with dilemmas as the central assessment tool. Gilligan offered a different ethical lens focused on care and voices often underrepresented in Kohlberg’s work, while Erikson’s focus lies on psychosocial development rather than moral dilemmas.