Mapping the moral domain.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Moral Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Existing measures of moral competence inadequately capture the full scope of the moral domain.
• Value inventories do not fully encompass the breadth of moral concerns.
• A need exists for a theoretically grounded measure of diverse moral intuitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ).
• To measure the five proposed universal moral intuition domains: Harm/Care, Fairness/Reciprocity, Ingroup/Loyalty, Authority/Respect, and Purity/Sanctity.
• To provide a comprehensive tool for studying moral psychology.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire based on Moral Foundations Theory.
• Confirmatory factor analyses to test the proposed 5-factor structure.
• Convergent and discriminant validity analyses to assess relationships with personality and social attitudes.

Main Results:

• Empirical justification for a 5-factor structure of moral concerns.
• Evidence that moral concerns predict personality features and social group attitudes.
• Demonstration of pragmatic validity through new insights into demographic and cultural differences in moral intuitions.

Conclusions:

• The Moral Foundations Questionnaire offers a reliable and valid measure of moral concerns.
• Moral Foundations Theory provides a robust framework for understanding the breadth and depth of human morality.
• The MFQ facilitates new research opportunities in moral psychology, cross-cultural studies, and social attitudes.