Who developed Moral Development Theory?

Moral Development Theory was established by an American
Psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg.  Kohlberg served as a professor at both the
University of Chicago and Harvard University, where he specialized in research releated
to moral education and reasoning.  His theory was influenced by Jean Piaget's Theory of
Cognitive Development which suggests that the development of intelligence occurs in four
stages, beginning with the most basic and ending at the most
complex.

Moral Development Theory suggests that children
pass through six stages of development when acquiring moral reasoning skills.  Each
child must pass through the different stages in order; however, not all children will
reach all six stages.  In fact, Kohlberg suggests that individuals who reach stage six
are incredibly rare.  Additionally, Kohlberg suggests that Moral Development Theory is
applicable to individuals of all cultures at any given point in
time.