A developmental model of hierarchical stage structure in objective moral judgements

A hierarchical structural model of moral judgment is proposed in which an S is characterized as occupying a particular moral stage. During development, the S's characteristic stage progresses along a latent, ordered dimension in an age-dependent way. Evaluation of prototypic statements representative of moral stages below an S's current stage are assumed to follow a quasi-Markov simplex pattern, whereas higher level statements are evaluated in a homogeneous, nonhierarchical way. This hybrid developmental model of moral judgment converges with the usual simplex model if Ss reach the highest stage. Using a causal modeling approach, the model is applied in an empirical study of stage score correlations of Defining Issues Test importance ratings of moral issues in 180 high school and university students (aged 14-24 yrs).