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Related Concept Videos

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The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
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Perceived Power Polarizes Moral Evaluations.

Russell Roberts1, Alex Koch1

  • 1The University of Chicago, IL, USA.

Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|April 23, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Perceiver-target similarity in ideology and target power interact to influence morality judgments. Powerful targets with dissimilar ideologies are judged as less moral, especially when they have high power.

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Political Psychology

Background:

  • Perceptions of morality are crucial for social evaluation.
  • Ideological similarity often influences interpersonal judgments.
  • The role of power in shaping morality perceptions alongside ideology is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interactive effect of perceiver-target ideological similarity and target power on impressions of target morality.
  • To explore the underlying psychological mechanisms driving these effects.
  • To establish the generalizability and uniqueness of this interaction.

Main Methods:

  • Multiple studies evaluating politicians, groups, and individuals.
  • Experimental manipulation of target power, including a minimal $1 difference.
Keywords:
belief similaritymoralitypowersocial evaluation

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  • Analysis of how ideological similarity and power interact to predict morality judgments.

    • Main Results:

    • Targets with dissimilar ideologies were rated as less moral than those with similar ideologies.
    • This effect was amplified for powerful targets compared to less powerful targets.
    • The interaction predicted morality judgments uniquely compared to other similarity dimensions.

    Conclusions:

    • Ideological similarity and target power interact significantly in shaping morality perceptions.
    • These perceptions are driven by expectations of being helped or harmed by the target.
    • The findings highlight the complex interplay of belief systems and power dynamics in social cognition.