Physical Presence during Moral Action in Immersive Virtual Reality

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Virtual Reality Research

Background:

• Moral judgment and action are distinct areas of research.
• Previous studies have primarily focused on moral judgment.
• The role of immersive experiences in moral reasoning remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in self-reported moral reasoning between paper-based and immersive virtual reality (IVR) moral dilemmas.
• To explore how the modality of dilemma presentation influences moral decision-making processes.
• To test the separate process theory regarding moral judgment and action.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 107 participants was presented with a hypothetical moral dilemma in two formats: paper-based and immersive virtual reality (IVR).
• Open-ended questions were used to elicit participants' moral reasoning.
• Content analysis was employed to categorize and quantify moral reasoning themes.

Main Results:

• Paper-based dilemmas elicited more references to abstract principles and self-consequences (e.g., legal implications).
• Immersive virtual reality (IVR) dilemmas led to significantly more references to consequences for others (e.g., empathy, not wanting to hurt individuals).
• A significant difference in moral reasoning focus was observed between the two presentation formats.

Conclusions:

• Moral reasoning differs based on the presentation modality of the dilemma, supporting the separate process theory.
• Immersive virtual reality (IVR) may enhance empathy and altruism, making them more relevant to moral actions.
• Simulated moral scenarios in IVR are essential for understanding the mechanisms underlying moral behavior and decision-making.