Reasoning supports utilitarian resolutions to moral dilemmas across diverse measures.
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Abstract
Sacrificial moral dilemmas elicit a strong conflict between the motive to not personally harm someone and the competing motive to achieving the greater good, which is often described as the "utilitarian" response. Some prior research suggests that reasoning abilities and deliberative cognitive style are associated with endorsement of utilitarian solutions, but, as has more recently been emphasized, both conceptual and methodological issues leave open the possibility that utilitarian responses are due instead to a reduced emotional response to harm. Across 8 studies, using self-report, behavioral performance, and neuroanatomical measures, we show that individual differences in reasoning ability and cognitive style of thinking are positively associated with a preference for utilitarian solutions, but bear no relationship to harm-relevant concerns. These findings support the dual-process model of moral decision making and highlight the utility of process dissociation methods. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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A reliance on more analytic (System 2) cognitive processes is associated with a tendency to make consequentialist moral judgments.
“There are reasons to suspect that this relationship may be attributable to differences in ACS, because a reliance on more analytic (System 2) cognitive processes is associated with a tendency to make consequentialist moral judgments [57, 60–63].”
From The amoral atheist? A cross-national examination of cultural, motivational, and cognitive antecedents of disbelief, and their implications for morality (2021) · cites this paper as [63]
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Norm conflicts and morality: The CNIS Conflict model of moral decision-making
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Moral Communication and Moral Values in the Moral Dilemma About Martha and Mary
Trif, V. (2020) · Education Journal · doi:10.11648/j.edu.20200903.14 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Deng, Z., Guo, J., Wang, D., & Chen, Z. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19042097 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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Andrade, G. E., Abdelmonem, K. Y. A., Alqaderi, N., Teir, H. J., Elamin, A. B. A., & Bedewy, D. A. (2023) · Ethics & Behavior · doi:10.1080/10508422.2023.2188595 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Patil, I., Zucchelli, M. M., Kool, W., Campbell, S., Fornasier, F., Calò, M., Silani, G., Cikara, M., & Cushman, F.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Bologna (IT)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 2021-02
- Volume
- 120
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 443-460
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2905711692
- Cited by
- 133
- References
- 159
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 9.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- The Pershing Square Venture Fund for Research on the Foundations of Human Behavior
- John Templeton Foundation (61061)
- Dean’s Competitive Fund for Promising Scholarship at Harvard
- 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
- utilitarianism, ethical dilemmas, sacrificial dilemmas, reasoning skills, cognitive style, dual-process models, ethical decision-making, harm aversion, process dissociation, individual differences
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Individuality, Judgment, Male, Morals, Motivation, Personality, Problem Solving, Thinking, Ethical Theory, Young Adult
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