Kohlberg's cognitive developmental stages of morality refer to a theory proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg that describes the moral development of individuals through a series of stages based on their reasoning abilities.
Kohlberg's stages of moral development stem from cognitive-developmental theory, emphasizing how our thinking processes evolve as we mature and interact with the environment. It expands on Piaget's work to explain moral reasoning.
Kohlberg's theory was derived from his longitudinal study where he posed moral dilemmas (e.g., the Heinz dilemma) and analyzed responses according to his proposed stages. Critics argue that his model is culturally biased and gender-centric.