Emotion and moral judgment

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Moral Psychology

Background:

• Emotion is crucial in everyday judgments, particularly moral judgment.
• The precise role and extent of emotion in moral judgment remain debated.
• Existing theories propose varying degrees of emotional influence on moral decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline and assess evidence for three distinct claims regarding emotion's role in moral judgment.
• To review existing research supporting different levels of emotional impact on moral evaluations.
• To identify gaps in current understanding and suggest future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing psychological and cognitive science research findings.
• Analysis of evidence supporting three hierarchical claims about emotion's role.
• Identification of recurring themes and open questions in the literature.

Main Results:

• Claim 1: Emotions follow moral judgments (e.g., immorality evokes negative emotions).
• Claim 2: Emotions amplify moral judgments (e.g., intensifying negative reactions to immorality).
• Claim 3: Emotions can moralize nonmoral behaviors (theoretically intriguing but empirically limited).

Conclusions:

• Emotion plays a multifaceted role in moral judgment, ranging from reactive to potentially formative.
• While emotions following and amplifying judgments are well-supported, emotion's capacity to moralize nonmoral acts requires more empirical investigation.
• Understanding the interplay between emotion and moral cognition is essential for a comprehensive psychological framework.