Moral Perception
Abstract
Based on emerging research, we propose that human perception is preferentially attuned to moral content. We describe how moral concerns enhance detection of morally relevant stimuli, and both command and direct attention. These perceptual processes, in turn, have important consequences for moral judgment and behavior.
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“While it seems unequivocal that moral content colors our interpretations of situations [1,2], we hypothesize that the influence of moral concerns reaches deeper, shaping what we see and how we come to see it.”
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- Authors
- Gantman, A. P., & Van Bavel, J. J.
- Affiliations
- New York University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gantman, Ana P.
- ORCID
- Gantman, Ana P.
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-11
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 631-633
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4243977351
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 3.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Ethics in Business and Education
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- moral perception, moral content, attentional bias, attentional capture, moral judgment, moral behavior, moral concern, stimulus detection
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Morals, Perception
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