Inferences about moral character moderate the impact of consequences on blame and praise.

ABSTRACT: Moral psychology research has highlighted several factors critical for evaluating the morality of another's choice, including the detection of norm-violating outcomes, the extent to which an agent caused an outcome, and the extent to which the agent intended good or bad consequences, as inferred from observing their decisions. However, person-centered accounts of moral judgment suggest that a motivation to infer the moral character of others can itself impact on an evaluation of their choices. Building on this person-centered account, we examine whether inferences about agents' moral character shape the sensitivity of moral judgments to the consequences of agents' choices, and agents' role in the causation of those consequences. Participants observed and judged sequences of decisions made

SUBMITTER: Siegel JZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5552615 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature