Extending social domain theory with a process-based account of moral judgments

Social domain theory (SDT) provides a model for how individuals identify, evaluate, and coordinate domains of social knowledge when judging socially relevant actions. To date, little research has focused on the cognitive processes that underlie these capacities. Utilizing principles from the literature on SDT and the hierarchical competing systems model, we examine the extant research with a new focus on the process by which domain coordination takes place. We argue for an integrated approach to social cognition that recognizes the cognitive processes involved in domain coordination.