Kohlberg describes the context of moral development within :

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (d) Social and cognitive development.
Lawrence Kohlberg extended Jean Piaget’s work on moral reasoning by proposing a stage theory of moral development. He emphasized that moral reasoning develops in a sequence of stages that align closely with an individual’s cognitive maturity and social experiences. In Kohlberg’s view, moral development does not occur in isolation but is deeply embedded in a person's ability to think logically (cognition) and interact within a social context.

Information Booster

1. Kohlberg’s theory consists of three levels: Pre-conventional, Conventional, and Post-conventional.
2. Each level is guided by increasing levels of social awareness and cognitive maturity.
3. Perspective-taking ability, a cognitive skill, is key to advancing through the stages.
4. Moral development requires interaction with others, especially those at higher stages of reasoning.
5. Kohlberg conducted longitudinal studies using moral dilemmas to analyze reasoning patterns.

Additional Knowledge

• Option (a): Emotional development is important, but Kohlberg focused more on cognitive reasoning than emotional empathy, which is more central to theories by Carol Gilligan.
• Option (b): While social development is valid, pairing it with emotional development skews the focus; Kohlberg’s model is more cognitive in nature.
• Option (c): Physical development has no direct bearing on moral reasoning in Kohlberg’s theory; moral development is not tied to motor or biological growth.