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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
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Are morally good actions ever free?

Cory J Clark1, Adam Shniderman2, Jamie B Luguri3

  • 1Florida State University, United States.

Consciousness and Cognition
|May 29, 2018
PubMed
Summary

People ascribe more free will to morally good actions than neutral ones, contrary to previous research. This study explores the motivations behind attributing free will to both good and bad deeds.

Keywords:
AffectBlameFree willMoralityMotivated cognitionPraisePunishmentResponsibilityReward

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Moral Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Previous research suggests people attribute less responsibility to morally good actions compared to bad or neutral ones.
  • This has led to the assumption that free will is not ascribed to morally good actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether people ascribe free will to morally good actions.
  • To differentiate the motivations behind attributing free will to morally good versus morally bad actions.

Main Methods:

  • Studies 1a-1b and a mini meta-analysis compared free will ascriptions for morally good versus neutral actions.
  • Studies 2a-2b examined the affective and pragmatic factors influencing free will judgments for morally good and bad actions.

Main Results:

  • Contrary to prior assumptions, people ascribe more free will to morally good actions than neutral actions.
  • Attributions of free will to immoral actions are primarily driven by affective responses (e.g., moral outrage, punitive desires).
  • Attributions of free will to morally good actions are influenced by both affective responses (e.g., moral uplift, reward desires) and pragmatic considerations (e.g., perceived utility, willpower).

Conclusions:

  • The study challenges the notion that free will is solely linked to negative moral actions.
  • Morally good actions may involve more nuanced cognitive processing, leading to context-dependent free will judgments.
  • Both affective and pragmatic factors play a role in how free will is ascribed to actions across the moral spectrum.