The codevelopment of moral and conventional normative stances from 2.5 to 3.5 years: A cross-lagged panel approach.

= .30). Moral protest (β = 0.403), but not conventional protest (β = 0.130), showed longitudinal stability. Conventional judgment of 2.5-year-olds related to 3.5-year-olds' moral judgment (β = 0.480). These findings demonstrate that young children's reactions toward moral and conventional transgressions show signs of differentiation regarding acceptability judgments and signs of stability regarding moral, but not conventional, protest behavior. This supports theoretical notions suggesting increasing differentiation and stability as central developmental processes in young children's emerging appreciation for social norms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).