In Kohlberg's framework, the progression of higher-level moral reasoning through stages is described as what?

• A. Epigenetic
• B. Cognitive Development
• C. Behavioral Conditioning
• D. Social Learning

Answer: (A)

The progression of higher-level moral reasoning through stages is described as epigenetic because it unfolds in an orderly, hierarchical sequence. Kohlberg’s idea is that moral thinking develops through a fixed series of stages, each building on the previous ones. You can’t skip ahead to more advanced reasoning without having formed the earlier foundations, and the stages as a whole move from simpler, rule-based thinking to more abstract, principle-based reasoning. This framing emphasizes the developmental path of moral judgment, not just changes in behavior or in general thinking. While it involves cognition, the key term here—epigenetic—captures the idea of a stage-by-stage, life-span unfolding of moral reasoning.