Measured the effect of confidentiality, parental influence, and peer influence on the moral judgment of ninth-grade students (N=274). Participants completed the Defining Issues Test and were told results would be either confidential or shared with parents or peers. Results suggest the moral judgment of ninth graders is not stable. (JAC)

Examines research and theory relative to the process of moral judgment development within the family environment. Analyzes the family's unique contribution to the development of moral judgment, the role of modeling by family members, and the ideal familial environment. Implications for moral education are addressed. (KO)

Investigated Gilligan's hypothesis on the origin of moral orientation through analysis of sibling-conflict interactions in 40 dual-parent families with 2 children, ages 2 and 4. Found only partial support for hypothesis in that, regardless of the child's gender, mothers used significantly more care than justice orientation, whereas fathers used…

Reports on a longitudinal study of four toddlers and the relationship of the development of moral awareness to maternal communications. Concludes that a 17-18-month period is a crucial transition period and calls for research into the relationship between emotional development and moral awareness. (CFR)

Discusses ways that language shapes moral experience. Suggests that words provide the tools necessary for thinking, feeling, and acting and so are essential to psychological functioning. States that understanding how language mediates the functioning of the psyche is prerequisite to understanding how narrative expresses moral experience and…

A longitudinal study of family patterns of moral reasoning compared relationships between parent and offspring reasoning from early adolescence to adulthood. Consistent patterns were found. During adolescence, parental judgment correlated to offspring reasoning but more so for girls than boys; among young adults, fathers' judgment and education…