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How serious are expressions of protected values?
1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6196, USA. baron@psych.upenn.edu
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied
|October 3, 2000
Summary
Protected values (PVs) are often seen as absolute, but research shows they can be influenced by counterexamples and the magnitude of potential violations. These findings suggest PVs may not always prevent cost-effectiveness analysis or agreements on controversial issues.
Area of Science:
- Decision Sciences
- Behavioral Economics
- Environmental Psychology
Background:
- Individuals often hold certain values they believe should be immune to trade-offs.
- Examples include the conviction that economic benefits cannot justify environmental destruction, such as clear-cutting old-growth forests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability and potential malleability of protected values (PVs).
- To determine if PVs can be challenged or modified under different conditions.
Main Methods:
- Examined the impact of counterexamples on PVs.
- Assessed how individuals resolve conflicts between two PVs.
- Investigated the effect of violation magnitude and probability on PV expression.
Main Results:
- Thinking of counterexamples had a measurable effect on PVs.
- Resolutions of conflicts between PVs were similar to those between other values.
- PV expression decreased with smaller violation magnitudes or probabilities, contradicting claims of absolute protection.
Conclusions:
- Protected values (PVs) demonstrate a degree of lability and are susceptible to challenge.
- PVs may not invariably impede the application of valuation methods in cost-effectiveness analyses or negotiations on contentious topics.