Which of the following best describes how Kohlberg formulated his theory of moral development in relation to Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory?

• A. Kohlberg argued that moral development occurs only during adulthood and is unrelated to cognitive development.
• B. Kohlberg expanded on Piaget's stages by introducing levels and stages of moral reasoning based on responses to moral dilemmas.
• C. Kohlberg believed that moral reasoning develops in a single stage that coincides with Piaget's sensorimotor stage.
• D. Kohlberg rejected Piaget's ideas and proposed that moral development is entirely determined by genetic factors.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory, which outlines how children's thinking evolves through distinct stages, such as the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages.
2. Step 2: Recognize that Kohlberg built upon Piaget's work by focusing specifically on moral development, proposing that moral reasoning progresses through a series of stages rather than occurring all at once or being unrelated to cognitive growth.
3. Step 3: Identify that Kohlberg introduced a structured framework of moral development consisting of three levels (pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional), each containing two stages, which describe how individuals reason about moral dilemmas.
4. Step 4: Note that Kohlberg's theory emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in moral reasoning, meaning that as cognitive abilities mature (as described by Piaget), moral reasoning becomes more sophisticated.
5. Step 5: Conclude that Kohlberg's theory expands on Piaget's by detailing how moral reasoning develops in stages linked to cognitive development, rather than being limited to a single stage, unrelated to cognition, or genetically predetermined.