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Counterfactual thinking in moral judgment: an experimental study.

Simone Migliore1, Giuseppe Curcio2, Francesco Mancini3

  • 1Integrated Center of Research, University Campus Bio Medico di Roma Rome, Italy ; School of Cognitive Psychotherapy (SPC) Rome, Italy.

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Counterfactual thinking during moral reasoning takes longer for personal dilemmas, especially in the first person. Females show more "out of context" responses in these situations.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Moral Psychology

Background:

  • Counterfactual thinking involves imagining alternative pasts.
  • Moral decision-making is complex and may involve counterfactual imagination.
  • Understanding factors influencing counterfactual thought in moral contexts is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate counterfactual thinking within moral reasoning.
  • To examine the influence of perspective (first-person vs. third-person) and dilemma type (personal vs. impersonal) on counterfactual responses.
  • To explore gender differences in counterfactual moral reasoning.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a modified version of Greene's moral dilemmas test.
  • Assessed response time for generating counterfactuals.
  • Categorized counterfactual responses as 'in context' or 'out of context/omissive'.
  • Recruited 90 healthy adult participants.

Main Results:

  • Personal moral dilemmas elicited longer response times compared to impersonal dilemmas.
  • This effect was amplified when participants responded from a first-person perspective.
  • Older adults exhibited generally slower response times.
  • Out-of-context/omissive responses were more frequent for personal dilemmas in the first-person view.
  • Females demonstrated a notable increase in out-of-context responses for personal, first-person dilemmas.

Conclusions:

  • Gender and perspective significantly influence counterfactual thinking in moral reasoning.
  • Findings suggest potential gender-related differences in moral judgment and inclination.
  • The study highlights the interplay between cognitive processes and moral decision-making.