Jano Loovingor的自我發展理論為近代西方研究自我發展歷程非常重要的學說之一。根據她的理論，個體的自我發展依序經歷三個時期，十個階段：前社會和共生階段、衝動階段、自我保護階段、遵奉階段、自我意識階段、良心階段、個人主義化階段、自主階段及整合階段、本研究以Loevinger所發展的造句測驗－華盛頓大學造句測驗(Washington University Sentence Completion Test)來檢視台灣大學生的自我發展狀況，並探討認知發展、人格特質及大學生活經驗與自我發展的關係。受試者為465名來自桃竹苗地區六所大學大一、大二及大三的學生，測量工具為華盛頓大學造句測驗(WUSCT)、五大人格因素量表(NEO-FFI)、智力發展量表(SID)及大學生重要生活事件量表。研究結果發現：大學生的自我發展階段平均在自我意識階段，女生的自我發展階段比男生高；主修領域在工科的大學生，自我發展比理科、人文社會、管理及教育領域的學生低年級則無影響。基本上大學生若認知發展特色越具有相對思考、同理心及開放的人格特質且在大學生活經驗中受到知識啓發的影響越大則自我發展的階段越高。此外男生的開放性人格對知識啓敔發與自我發展間的關係具有中介效果，而女生的開放性人格與同理心則對知識敔發與自我發展的關係具有部分的中介效果。

Jane Loevinger's ego development theory has been recognized as one of the significant theories in development psychology. She described 10 ego stages that individuals develop in sequences throughout life span. These ego stages include presocial and symbiotic, impulsive, self-protective, conformist, self-aware, conscientious, individualistic, autonomous, and integrated. The purposes of this study were to examine ego development of college students in Taiwan by using Loevinger's WUSCT, and to investigate the relationships of ego development with cognitive development characters, personality and the impact of college life experiences. Subjects were 465 college students from 6 universities located in the areas of Taoyuan and Hsinchu. They completed the scales of Washington University Sentence Completion Test, the Scale of Intellectual Development, Neo-Five Factor Inventory, and College Student's Life Events. The results indicated that the average stage of college students in Taiwan is Self-Aware stage. Female students reported a higher level of ego level than male students did; students who major in engineering displayed a lower level of ego stage than the students who major in management, education, and humanities and social science. Moreover, students with higher levels of relativistic thinking, empathy, openness to experiences, and intellectual inspiration from learning showed a higher level of ego stage. In addition, openness to experience fully mediated the relationship between intellectual inspiration and ego development for male, whereas openness to experience and empathy partially mediated the same relationships for female.