Generating a Mediation Model of Moral Cost and Aggression

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Moral Psychology

Background:

• The influence of moral protective factors, such as moral cost, on aggression is not fully understood.
• Existing research has not clearly defined the mechanisms through which moral cost impacts aggressive behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Moral Cost of Aggression Questionnaire (MCAQ) as a measure of trait moral cost.
• To investigate the relationship between moral cost, positive outcome expectancies for aggression (POEA), and aggression.
• To examine the mediating role of POEA in the association between moral cost and aggression.

Main Methods:

• Psychometric validation of the MCAQ using a sample of 516 college students.
• Examination of the relationships among moral cost, POEA, and aggression in a separate sample of 749 college students.
• Mediation analysis to test the proposed indirect effect of moral cost on aggression via POEA.

Main Results:

• The MCAQ demonstrated reliable and valid psychometric properties.
• Mediation analysis confirmed that POEA significantly mediates the relationship between moral cost and aggression.
• Higher moral cost was associated with lower POEA, which in turn was associated with lower aggression.

Conclusions:

• Moral cost is a significant factor in reducing aggression, operating partly through a discounting mechanism.
• The findings support the hypothesis that individuals with higher moral cost devalue aggressive outcomes, leading to less aggression.
• The MCAQ provides a valuable tool for future research on moral cost and aggression; interventions targeting moral cost and outcome valuation may reduce aggression.