Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
09:20
Using fMRI to Dissect Moral Judgment
Published on: April 30, 2023
12.5K
The space between rationalism and sentimentalism: A perspective from moral development.
1Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17604. jrottman@fandm.eduwww.joshuarottman.com.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|September 12, 2019
Summary
Non-emotional moral intuitions may not solely support rationalism. Developmental psychology research suggests automatic intuitions can arise from evolutionary preparedness and enculturation, not always from reason.
Area of Science:
- Moral Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Philosophical interpretations link non-emotional moral intuitions to rationalism.
- Developmental psychology offers alternative explanations for intuition formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine whether non-emotional moral intuitions definitively support rationalism.
- To explore the developmental mechanisms behind moral intuitions.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing research in developmental psychology.
- Analysis of cognitive processes underlying moral intuition.
Main Results:
- Automatic moral intuitions can emerge passively.
- Mechanisms like evolutionary preparedness and enculturation contribute to intuition development.
- These intuitions are not exclusively emotional but also not clearly rational.
Conclusions:
- Non-emotional moral intuitions do not automatically equate to rationalism.
- Passive developmental processes play a significant role in shaping moral intuitions.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the nature of moral reasoning.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
863
Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
863
09:20Using fMRI to Dissect Moral Judgment
12.5K
Source: William Brady & Jay Van Bavel—New York University
In examining the roles of reason and emotion in moral judgments, psychologists and philosophers alike point to the trolley dilemma and the footbridge dilemma. With the trolley dilemma, most people say that it is appropriate to pull a switch to stop a train from hitting five people by diverting it to kill one person. However, with the footbridge dilemma, most people say it is inappropriate to push a large man off of a bridge in...
In examining the roles of reason and emotion in moral judgments, psychologists and philosophers alike point to the trolley dilemma and the footbridge dilemma. With the trolley dilemma, most people say that it is appropriate to pull a switch to stop a train from hitting five people by diverting it to kill one person. However, with the footbridge dilemma, most people say it is inappropriate to push a large man off of a bridge in...
12.5K
08:10Using Your Head: Measuring Infants' Rational Imitation of Actions
10.9K
Source: Laboratories of Judith Danovitch and Nicholaus Noles—University of Louisville
One of the main challenges of infancy is to learn how to achieve one’s goals in the world, whether they are to pick up a toy or to express desires to another person, and one of the most powerful tools in this learning process is imitation. However, imitation is not always as simple as copying other people’s actions; it is also necessary to realize that goals and intentions guide behavior. The...
One of the main challenges of infancy is to learn how to achieve one’s goals in the world, whether they are to pick up a toy or to express desires to another person, and one of the most powerful tools in this learning process is imitation. However, imitation is not always as simple as copying other people’s actions; it is also necessary to realize that goals and intentions guide behavior. The...
10.9K
26:41Perspectives on Neuroscience
5.3K
5.3K
01:24Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
364
Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) are grounded in the belief that our thoughts profoundly influence our emotions and actions. Advocates of CBT emphasize three core assumptions: first, that cognitions are identifiable and measurable; second, that they are central to psychological functioning; and third, that irrational or maladaptive beliefs can be replaced with rational and adaptive ones. This transformative approach to therapy has paved the way for specific models such as Albert...
364
01:19Moral Hazard
302
Moral hazards arise due to information asymmetry between buyers and sellers in a market. This occurs when one party cannot monitor the actions of the other. The emphasis on actions is important because moral hazard specifically results from the behavior of the party whose actions are not fully observable. In such situations, the party whose actions are not entirely observable may act less cautiously than they otherwise would, knowing their actions are only partially observed. This leaves...
302