Problem 6

Question 1

What are binding moral foundations ?

Answer 1

They refer to strong commitments to principles, which unite individuals into collectives hat allow families, societies etc to thrive/grow

–> e.g.: obedience, loyalty, purity etc

Question 2

Moral foundation theory (MFT)

Answer 2

Suggests that there are 5 psychological moral foundations on which most cultures build their systems of morality

1. loyalty vs betrayal
2. authority vs subversion
3. purity vs degradation
4. care vs harm
5. fairness vs cheating

Question 3

Limitations to the binding moral foundations ?

Answer 3

It might produce the motivation + justification necessary for people to withhold help from/directly harm out-group members

Question 4

Pros on binding moral foundations

Answer 4

1. Increases ones commitment to helping other people
2. Accounts for why the worlds largest religions are still in power

Question 5

Social Cognitive perspective of moral identity

Answer 5

Refers to an assumption that people whose moral identities are more accessible within the working self concept are more likely to behave in a manner consistent with their conceptions

Question 6

Circle of moral regard

Answer 6

Refers to the psychological boundaries that people draw around all those people they deem worthy of moral consideration

Question 7

What are the 3 ways to override/ameliorate our intuitive responses ?

Answer 7

1. Conscious verbal reasoning

–> cost-benefit ratio

2. Reframing a situation to see a new angle/ consequence

3. Social interaction

–> talking to other people who raise new arguments

Question 8

Morality

Answer 8

Refers to a set of principles that indicate what is right/wrong or good/bad behavior

–> ties individuals to a certain type of group/community

Question 9

Indirect reciprocity

Answer 9

Refers to an interaction between individuals in which the virtue pays by improving ones reputation

–> elicits later cooperation from others

=> solves the problem of fee-riders

Question 10

Moral judgment

Answer 10

Refers to judgment that has moral content

–> used to evaluate situations, courses of action, persons, behavior, etc.

Question 11

Moral reasoning

Answer 11

Refers to the conscious mental activity by which one evaluates a moral judgment for its consistency with other moral commitments

Question 12

Social intuitionist model (SIM)

(Haidt)

Answer 12

States that moral judgment is predominantly intuitive, driven primarily by automatic emotional responses that are effortless + produced by unconscious processes

–> 3 types of psychological processes are interconnected

a) Intuition

b) Judgment

c) Reasoning

1. moral positions/judgements are primarily intuitive, then rationalized
2. often influenced and sometimes changed by discussing such positions/judgements with others

=> de-emphasizes the role of reasoning in reaching moral conclusions

Question 13

Moral identity

Answer 13

Refers to the degree to which being a moral person is important to an individual’s identity

–> schemas of the moral self

e.g.: high levels have more respect for rights + welfare of others

Question 14

Moral awareness

Answer 14

Refers to a persons determination that a situation contains moral content and can be considered from a moral point of view

–> is important in perceiving ones own behavior as well as the behavior of others

Question 15

Dual process model of moral judgment

(Greene)

Answer 15

Suggests 2 ubiquitous + qualitatively different modes of moral thinking that depend on different systems in the brain

1. Deontologcial moral judgements
2. Utilitarian consequentialist judgments

Question 16

Deontological moral judgments

Answer 16

Refer to judgments that are naturally regarded as reflecting concerns for rights + duties (ones’s moral principles)

–> driven by intuitive emotional responses

ex.: I don’t kill due to my moral principles

Question 17

Utilitarian consequentialist judgments

Answer 17

Refer to judgments aimed at promoting the greater good (= not necessarily consistent with one’s moral principles)

–> supported by controlled cognitive processes/practical

ex.: killing 1 to save 5 people

Question 18

Action principle/

Omission bias

Answer 18

Harm caused by an action is less morally acceptable than harm caused by an omission

ex.: death from administered poison vs death from allergy of foods that were delivered after

–> example of deontological moral judgements

Question 19

Contact principle

Answer 19

Suggests that using physical contact to cause harm to a victim is less morally acceptable than causing harm to a victim without using physical contact

Question 20

How can moralists, meaning people with differing attitudes influence each other ?

Answer 20

By transmitting moral principles that may be used to override moral intuitions

–> aiming at the “head”, not “heart” is of importance

Question 21

Cultural differences in moral reasoning might even be stronger within cultures than across/between cultures.

Where does this stem from ?

Answer 21

1. Differences in punishment habits between cultures
2. Religious diversity

Question 22

What are the differences in moral reasoning between cultures ?

Answer 22

1. West emphasizes individual rights vs east emphasizes collective moral concerns/duty based communal obligations
2. Westerners see harmful actions as immoral vs easterners see uncivilized actions as immoral
3. Easterners consider contextual info more vs westerners personal info

Question 23

Do general principles like: loyalty, purity etc necessarily lead to in-group favoritism ?

Answer 23

No,

–> strong moral identity expands the circle of moral regard

Question 24

What influences one’s degree of morality in a given situation ?

Answer 24

1. Lack of sleep

• difficulty directing + influencing attentional processes by impacting the PFC

2. Stress

• causes emotional neural processes to activate, thinking more emotionally than rationally

3. Gender

• men are more likely to make utilitarian judgments

4. Moral reflection

• more reflection, more utilitarian

Question 25

There are 2 kinds of moral regulation.

Which are those ?

Answer 25

1. Prescriptive

• performing good deeds
  ex. : charitable behavior

2. Proscriptive

• inhibiting motivation to commit harmful acts
  ex. : not cheating

Question 26

Internalization Primacy Principle

(IPP)

Answer 26

Suggests that internalization is more important than symbolization when one is in a situation where prescriptive moral regulation is required

Question 27

What is the difference between internalization vs symbolization ?

Answer 27

Symbolization refers to ones public self

–> how one presents oneself to the public, showing off moral values

Internalization refers to the private self

–> how one really is

Question 28

Internalization-symbolization equality theory

Answer 28

Internalization + symbolization are both important when proscriptive moral regulation is required