Cited by 77Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentDecision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsEthics in Business and Education

Not all who ponder count costs: Arithmetic reflection predicts utilitarian tendencies, but logical reflection predicts both deontological and utilitarian tendencies

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Byrd, Nick, Conway, Paul·2019·Cognition

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Conventional sacrificial moral dilemmas propose directly causing some harm to prevent greater harm. Theory suggests that accepting such actions (consistent with utilitarian philosophy) involves more reflective reasoning than rejecting such actions (consistent with deontological philosophy). However, past findings do not always replicate, confound different kinds of reflection, and employ conventional sacrificial dilemmas that treat utilitarian and deontological considerations as opposite. In two studies, we examined whether past findings would replicate when employing process dissociation to assess deontological and utilitarian inclinations independently. Findings suggested two categorically different impacts of reflection: measures of arithmetic reflection, such as the Cognitive Reflection Test, predicted only utilitarian, not deontological, response tendencies. However, measures of logical reflection, such as performance on logical syllogisms, positively predicted both utilitarian and deontological tendencies. These studies replicate some findings, clarify others, and reveal opportunity for additional nuance in dual process theorist's claims about the link between reflection and dilemma judgments.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.06.007

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Authors
Byrd, N., & Conway, P.
Affiliations
Florida State University (US)
Corresponding author
Byrd, Nick
Venue
Cognition
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-11
Volume
192
Pages
103995
ISSN
0010-0277 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2958595150
Cited by
77
References
149
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 1
FWCI
6.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2020-02-01)
Open access
Locations
  • Cognition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PhilSci-Archive (University of Pittsburgh) (acceptedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
  • PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Ethics in Business and Education
Keywords
ethical dilemmas, utilitarianism, deontology, reflective thinking, process dissociation, Cognitive Reflection Test, syllogism, replication, dual-process theory, moral judgment
MeSH terms
Adult, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Judgment, Male, Morals, Ethical Theory

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