Development and validation of the Japanese Moral Foundations Dictionary

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Sociology

Background:

• Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) provides a framework for understanding morality.
• The English-only Moral Foundations Dictionary (MFD) limits cross-cultural research.
• Translated versions are crucial for studying diverse moral perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop the first Japanese version of the MFD (J-MFD).
• To establish a reference method for translating the MFD into other languages.
• To validate the J-MFD's accuracy in analyzing Japanese moral concepts.

Main Methods:

• A semi-automated method was used to create the J-MFD.
• Japanese participants described situations aligning with or violating moral foundations.
• The J-MFD's categorization accuracy was tested on these written texts.

Main Results:

• The J-MFD successfully categorized Japanese descriptions into the five moral foundations.
• J-MFD word frequencies correlated with Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ) scores for Harm and Fairness.
• The J-MFD demonstrated validity in analyzing Japanese moral discourse.

Conclusions:

• The J-MFD is a valid tool for studying Japanese morality.
• This resource facilitates cross-cultural and multicultural comparisons of moral behavior.
• The development method serves as a guide for future MFD translations.