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Is There a Foreign Accent Effect on Moral Judgment?
Alice Foucart1, Susanne Brouwer2
1Centro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición (CINC), Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Nebrija, 28015 Madrid, Spain.
Brain Sciences
|December 24, 2021
Summary
Moral judgments shift towards utilitarianism when people hear dilemmas spoken in a foreign accent. This foreign accent effect, similar to the foreign language effect, influences decision-making by altering cognitive processes.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Moral Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Foreign language use promotes utilitarian moral decision-making.
- Explanations include reduced emotionality, increased cognitive load, and psychological distance.
- Foreign-accented speech may evoke similar psychological effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if a foreign accent, independent of language, influences moral judgments.
- To determine if foreign-accented speech elicits more utilitarian decisions compared to native-accented speech.
Main Methods:
- 435 participants (Spanish and Dutch native speakers) evaluated moral dilemmas (trolley, footbridge).
- Dilemmas were presented online in native or foreign-accented speech (Spanish, Dutch).
- Accents included native, British English, Cameroonian (Spanish), and Turkish, French (Dutch).
Main Results:
- Utilitarian decisions increased with Cameroonian-accented Spanish and French-accented Dutch.
- A general foreign accent effect was observed, increasing utilitarian choices compared to native accents.
- Variability in the effect across different foreign accents was noted.
Conclusions:
- A foreign accent, akin to a foreign language, can modulate cognitive mechanisms influencing moral judgments.
- This 'foreign accent effect' impacts behavior, suggesting reduced emotionality, increased cognitive load, or psychological distance.
- Further research is needed to explore accent-specific variations and underlying mechanisms.
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