Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity
Modern theories of moral judgment predict that both conscious reasoning and unconscious emotional influences affect the way people decide about right and wrong. In a series of experiments, we tested the effect of subliminal and conscious priming of disgust facial expressions on moral dilemmas. Troll...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2014-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00194/full |
| _version_ | 1818430168737251328 |
|---|---|
| author | How Hwee eOng O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman Kenneth eKwok Kenneth eKwok Julian eLim Julian eLim Julian eLim |
| author_facet | How Hwee eOng O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman Kenneth eKwok Kenneth eKwok Julian eLim Julian eLim Julian eLim |
| author_sort | How Hwee eOng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Modern theories of moral judgment predict that both conscious reasoning and unconscious emotional influences affect the way people decide about right and wrong. In a series of experiments, we tested the effect of subliminal and conscious priming of disgust facial expressions on moral dilemmas. Trolley-car-type scenarios were used, with subjects rating how acceptable they found the utilitarian course of action to be. On average, subliminal priming of disgust facial expressions resulted in higher rates of utilitarian judgments compared to neutral facial expressions. Further, in replication, we found that individual change in moral acceptability ratings due to disgust priming was modulated by individual sensitivity to disgust, revealing a bi-directional function. Our second replication extended this result to show that the function held for both subliminally and consciously presented stimuli. Combined across these experiments, we show a reliable bi-directional function, with presentation of disgust expression primes to individuals with higher disgust sensitivity resulting in more utilitarian judgments (i.e., number-based) and presentations to individuals with lower sensitivity resulting in more deontological judgments (i.e., rules-based). Our results may reconcile previous conflicting reports of disgust modulation of moral judgment by modeling how individual sensitivity to disgust determines the direction and degree of this effect. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T15:29:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-86fcd58ea029443a8acdbc88667e9d1d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T15:29:08Z |
| publishDate | 2014-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-86fcd58ea029443a8acdbc88667e9d1d2022-12-21T22:55:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782014-03-01510.3389/fpsyg.2014.0019476539Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivityHow Hwee eOng0O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman1O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman2O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman3O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman4Kenneth eKwok5Kenneth eKwok6Julian eLim7Julian eLim8Julian eLim9National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeDuke-NUS Graduate Medical SchoolNational University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeModern theories of moral judgment predict that both conscious reasoning and unconscious emotional influences affect the way people decide about right and wrong. In a series of experiments, we tested the effect of subliminal and conscious priming of disgust facial expressions on moral dilemmas. Trolley-car-type scenarios were used, with subjects rating how acceptable they found the utilitarian course of action to be. On average, subliminal priming of disgust facial expressions resulted in higher rates of utilitarian judgments compared to neutral facial expressions. Further, in replication, we found that individual change in moral acceptability ratings due to disgust priming was modulated by individual sensitivity to disgust, revealing a bi-directional function. Our second replication extended this result to show that the function held for both subliminally and consciously presented stimuli. Combined across these experiments, we show a reliable bi-directional function, with presentation of disgust expression primes to individuals with higher disgust sensitivity resulting in more utilitarian judgments (i.e., number-based) and presentations to individuals with lower sensitivity resulting in more deontological judgments (i.e., rules-based). Our results may reconcile previous conflicting reports of disgust modulation of moral judgment by modeling how individual sensitivity to disgust determines the direction and degree of this effect.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00194/fulldecision-makingdisgustmoral judgmentSubliminal primingutilitarian |
| spellingShingle | How Hwee eOng O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman Kenneth eKwok Kenneth eKwok Julian eLim Julian eLim Julian eLim Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity Frontiers in Psychology decision-making disgust moral judgment Subliminal priming utilitarian |
| title | Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity |
| title_full | Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity |
| title_fullStr | Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity |
| title_short | Moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi-directionally moderated by individual sensitivity |
| title_sort | moral judgment modulation by disgust is bi directionally moderated by individual sensitivity |
| topic | decision-making disgust moral judgment Subliminal priming utilitarian |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00194/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT howhweeeong moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT odhanielamullettegillman moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT odhanielamullettegillman moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT odhanielamullettegillman moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT odhanielamullettegillman moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT kennethekwok moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT kennethekwok moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT julianelim moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT julianelim moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity AT julianelim moraljudgmentmodulationbydisgustisbidirectionallymoderatedbyindividualsensitivity |