Conscience strength in adolescence was correlated with the development of moral judgment among adolescents and was a predictor of subsequent development during adulthood. A similar pattern of results was obtained for measures of paternal identification and involvement, but not for the corresponding maternal variables. (RH)

It was hypothesized that (1) classroom conduct problems decline with increasing moral maturity, and (2) Stage 1 and Stage 3 levels of moral reasoning are associated with fewer conduct problems. In a study involving fourth and eighth graders, children with moral reasoning at Stage 1 and Stage 3 had fewer conduct problems than other children. (LB)