We review the psychological literature on moral development in East Asian societies, beginning with a review of studies based on Kohlberg's cognitive-developmental approach. Those studies using his Moral Judgment Interview commonly show that East Asian adolescents reach the third stage of interpersonal concordance earlier than their Western counterparts. In contrast, studies using Rest's Defining Issues Test (a recognition and preference test) suggest that East Asian high school students prefer principled moral arguments to a somewhat greater degree than students from Western societies. In addition, several studies suggest cross-cultural variations in moral thinking among members of East Asian societies. In this context, we introduce several dimensions useful for comparing moral thinking in different East Asian societies such as empathy-based vs. obligation-based norms and high vs. low degree of group orientation. Finally, a "virtue approach" is suggested to arrive at a better understanding of moral development in East Asian societies.

Key Words: moral development, eulture, East Asia