Decisions in moral dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities
Previous studies have found that the proportions of people who endorsed utilitarian decisions varied across different variants of the trolley dilemma. In this paper, we explored whether moral choices were associated with beliefs about outcome probabilities in different moral dilemmas. Results of two...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Judgment and Decision Making |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.sjdm.org/16/16615/jdm16615.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797707748184424448 |
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| author | Yiyun Shou Fei Song |
| author_facet | Yiyun Shou Fei Song |
| author_sort | Yiyun Shou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous studies have
found that the proportions of people who endorsed utilitarian decisions varied
across different variants of the trolley dilemma. In this paper, we explored
whether moral choices were associated with beliefs about outcome probabilities
in different moral dilemmas. Results of two experiments showed that
participants’ perceptions of outcome probabilities were different between two
dilemmas that were similar to the classical switch case and footbridge case.
Participants’ judgments of the outcome probabilities were associated with their
moral choices. The results suggested that participants might not accept task
instructions and thus did not perceive the outcomes in the dilemmas as certain.
We argued that researchers who endorse descriptive tasks in moral reasoning
research should be cautious about the findings and should take participants’
beliefs in the outcomes into account. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T06:12:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc1dfdac3375447d971f029785bf273c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1930-2975 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T06:12:01Z |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Judgment and Decision Making |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc1dfdac3375447d971f029785bf273c2023-09-03T03:00:58ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752017-09-01125481490Decisions in moral dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilitiesYiyun ShouFei SongPrevious studies have found that the proportions of people who endorsed utilitarian decisions varied across different variants of the trolley dilemma. In this paper, we explored whether moral choices were associated with beliefs about outcome probabilities in different moral dilemmas. Results of two experiments showed that participants’ perceptions of outcome probabilities were different between two dilemmas that were similar to the classical switch case and footbridge case. Participants’ judgments of the outcome probabilities were associated with their moral choices. The results suggested that participants might not accept task instructions and thus did not perceive the outcomes in the dilemmas as certain. We argued that researchers who endorse descriptive tasks in moral reasoning research should be cautious about the findings and should take participants’ beliefs in the outcomes into account.http://journal.sjdm.org/16/16615/jdm16615.pdfmoral decision probability judgment moral reasoning moral dilemmaNAKeywords |
| spellingShingle | Yiyun Shou Fei Song Decisions in moral dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities Judgment and Decision Making moral decision probability judgment moral reasoning moral dilemmaNAKeywords |
| title | Decisions in moral
dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities |
| title_full | Decisions in moral
dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities |
| title_fullStr | Decisions in moral
dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decisions in moral
dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities |
| title_short | Decisions in moral
dilemmas: The influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities |
| title_sort | decisions in moral dilemmas the influence of subjective beliefs in outcome probabilities |
| topic | moral decision probability judgment moral reasoning moral dilemmaNAKeywords |
| url | http://journal.sjdm.org/16/16615/jdm16615.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yiyunshou decisionsinmoraldilemmastheinfluenceofsubjectivebeliefsinoutcomeprobabilities AT feisong decisionsinmoraldilemmastheinfluenceofsubjectivebeliefsinoutcomeprobabilities |