Using Kohlberg's moral stages, statements were written to exemplify stage characteristics. Subjects were asked to select the statement defining the most important issue in a moral dilemma. The importance attributed to principled (Stages 5 and 6) moral statements (the P score) evidenced developmental trends: The P score differentiated student groups of varied advancement-junior high, senior high, college, and graduate students (F > 48.5); P correlated in the .60s with age, comprehension of social-moral concepts, and Kohlberg's scale-and less so but significantly with IQ. The way subjects chose important issues was not only an intellectual skill but also value related: P correlated in the .60s with attitude measures. A second student sample and an adult sample provided replications. Test-retest correlation of the P score was .81. The methodological advantages of an objective moral judgment measure were discussed.