Adolescence and Moral Development Two major reasons exist for studying moral development and during adolescence. First, congnitive changes that occur during adolescence are related to moral develpment. formal operational thinking allows the adolescent to interpret the social environment in new and different ways. Second, because adolescents are capable of devising anew and idealisftic social orders to which all are expected to conform, we may view whtn as moral philosophers. A number of researchers have noted other changes in moral development that point to the importance of adolescence as transition stage in moral development. Unli