What we say and what we do: The relationship between real and hypothetical moral choices
Abstract
Moral ideals are strongly ingrained within society and individuals alike, but actual moral choices are profoundly influenced by tangible rewards and consequences. Across two studies we show that real moral decisions can dramatically contradict moral choices made in hypothetical scenarios (Study 1). However, by systematically enhancing the contextual information available to subjects when addressing a hypothetical moral problem—thereby reducing the opportunity for mental simulation—we were able to incrementally bring subjects' responses in line with their moral behaviour in real situations (Study 2). These results imply that previous work relying mainly on decontextualized hypothetical scenarios may not accurately reflect moral decisions in everyday life. The findings also shed light on contextual factors that can alter how moral decisions are made, such as the salience of a personal gain.
Additional Information
© 2012 Elsevier B.V. Open Access under CC BY 3.0 license. Received 23 August 2011. Revised 2 February 2012. Accepted 2 February 2012. Available online 9 March 2012.Attached Files
Published - 1-s2.0-S0010027712000273-main.pdf
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Additional details
- PMCID
- PMC3355304
- Eprint ID
- 85081
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20180305-070237524
- Created
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2018-03-05Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-15Created from EPrint's last_modified field