Explorations in the Role of Emotion in Moral Judgment
Recent theorizations on the cognitive process of moral
judgment have focused on the role of intuitions and emotions, marking
a departure from previous emphasis on conscious, step-by-step
reasoning. My study investigated how being in a disgusted mood state
affects moral judgment.
Participants were induced to enter a disgusted mood state through
listening to disgusting sounds and reading disgusting descriptions.
Results shows that they, when compared to control who have not been
induced to feel disgust, are more likely to endorse actions that are
emotionally aversive but maximizes utilitarian return
The result is analyzed using the 'emotion-as-information' approach
to decision making. The result is consistent with the view that
emotions play an important role in determining moral judgment.
[1] Cohon, R. (Ed.) (2004) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
[2] Kohlberg, L. (1981). The philosophy of Moral Development. (Vol. 1).
New York: Harper Row.
[3] Hauser, M., Cushman, F., Young, L., Jin, R. K., and Mikhail, J. (2007).
Dissociation between Moral Judgments and Justifications. Mind and
Language, 22(1), 21
[4] Haidt, J. (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social
intuitionist approach to moral judgment. . Psychological Review, 108,
814-834.
[5] Koenigs, M., Young, L., Adolphs, R., Tranel, D., Cushman, F., Hauser,
M., et al. (2007). Damage to the prefrontal cortex increases utilitarian
moral judgements. Nature, advanced online publication.
[6] Mendez, M. F., Anderson, E., & Shapira, J. S. (2005). An Investigation of
Moral Judgement in Frontotemporal Dementia. Cognitive & Behavioral
Neurology, 18(4), 193-197.
[7] Greene, J. D., Nystrom, L. E., Engell, A. D., Darley, J. M., & Cohen, J. D.
(2004). The neural bases of cognitive conflict and control in moral
judgment. Neuron, 44, 389-400.
[8] Wheatley, T., & Haidt, J. (2005). Hypnotic disgust makes moral
judgments more severe. Psychological Science, 16(10), 78-784.
[9] Greene, J. D., Sommerville, R. B., Nystrom, L. E., Darley, J. M. and
Cohen, J. D. . (2001). An fMRI investigation of emotional engagement in
moral judgment. Science, 293, 2105-2108.
[10] Marzillier, S. L., & Davey, G. C. L. (2005). Anxiety and disgust:
Evidence for a unidirectional relationship. Cognition and emotion, 19(5),
729-750.
[11] Mayer, J. D., Allen, J. P., & Beauregard, K. (1995). Mood inductions for
four specific moods: A procedure employing guided imagery vignettes
with music. Journal of mental imagery, 19, 133-150.
[12] Fiske, S., & Taylor, S. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York
McGraw Hill.
[13] Davey, G. C. L., Bickerstaffe, S., & MacDonald, B. A. (2005).
Experienced disgust causes a negative interpretation bias: A causal role
for disgust in anxious psychopathology Behaviour Research and Therapy
44, 1375-1384.
[14] McCormack, H. M., Horne, D. J. D. L., & Sheather, S. (1988). Clinical
applications of visual analogue scales: a critical review. Psychological
Medicine, 18, 1007-1019
[15] Schwarz, N., & Clore, G. L. (2006). Feelings and phenomenal
experiences. In A. Kruglanski, & Higgins, E.T. (Ed.), Social psychology.
Handbook of basic principles (2 ed., pp. 385-407). New York: Guilford.
[16] Schwarz, N., & Clore, G. L. (1983). Mood, misattribution, and judgments
of well-being: Informative and directive functions of affective states.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 513-523.
[17] Isbell, L. M., & Wyer, R. S. (1999). Correcting for mood-induced bias in
the evaluation of political candidates: The roles of intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 237-249.
[18] Haidt, J. (2003). The moral emotions. In R. J. Davidson, Scherer, K. R., &
Goldsmith H. H. (Ed.), Handbook of affective sciences (pp. 852-870).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[1] Cohon, R. (Ed.) (2004) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
[2] Kohlberg, L. (1981). The philosophy of Moral Development. (Vol. 1).
New York: Harper Row.
[3] Hauser, M., Cushman, F., Young, L., Jin, R. K., and Mikhail, J. (2007).
Dissociation between Moral Judgments and Justifications. Mind and
Language, 22(1), 21
[4] Haidt, J. (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social
intuitionist approach to moral judgment. . Psychological Review, 108,
814-834.
[5] Koenigs, M., Young, L., Adolphs, R., Tranel, D., Cushman, F., Hauser,
M., et al. (2007). Damage to the prefrontal cortex increases utilitarian
moral judgements. Nature, advanced online publication.
[6] Mendez, M. F., Anderson, E., & Shapira, J. S. (2005). An Investigation of
Moral Judgement in Frontotemporal Dementia. Cognitive & Behavioral
Neurology, 18(4), 193-197.
[7] Greene, J. D., Nystrom, L. E., Engell, A. D., Darley, J. M., & Cohen, J. D.
(2004). The neural bases of cognitive conflict and control in moral
judgment. Neuron, 44, 389-400.
[8] Wheatley, T., & Haidt, J. (2005). Hypnotic disgust makes moral
judgments more severe. Psychological Science, 16(10), 78-784.
[9] Greene, J. D., Sommerville, R. B., Nystrom, L. E., Darley, J. M. and
Cohen, J. D. . (2001). An fMRI investigation of emotional engagement in
moral judgment. Science, 293, 2105-2108.
[10] Marzillier, S. L., & Davey, G. C. L. (2005). Anxiety and disgust:
Evidence for a unidirectional relationship. Cognition and emotion, 19(5),
729-750.
[11] Mayer, J. D., Allen, J. P., & Beauregard, K. (1995). Mood inductions for
four specific moods: A procedure employing guided imagery vignettes
with music. Journal of mental imagery, 19, 133-150.
[12] Fiske, S., & Taylor, S. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York
McGraw Hill.
[13] Davey, G. C. L., Bickerstaffe, S., & MacDonald, B. A. (2005).
Experienced disgust causes a negative interpretation bias: A causal role
for disgust in anxious psychopathology Behaviour Research and Therapy
44, 1375-1384.
[14] McCormack, H. M., Horne, D. J. D. L., & Sheather, S. (1988). Clinical
applications of visual analogue scales: a critical review. Psychological
Medicine, 18, 1007-1019
[15] Schwarz, N., & Clore, G. L. (2006). Feelings and phenomenal
experiences. In A. Kruglanski, & Higgins, E.T. (Ed.), Social psychology.
Handbook of basic principles (2 ed., pp. 385-407). New York: Guilford.
[16] Schwarz, N., & Clore, G. L. (1983). Mood, misattribution, and judgments
of well-being: Informative and directive functions of affective states.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 513-523.
[17] Isbell, L. M., & Wyer, R. S. (1999). Correcting for mood-induced bias in
the evaluation of political candidates: The roles of intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 237-249.
[18] Haidt, J. (2003). The moral emotions. In R. J. Davidson, Scherer, K. R., &
Goldsmith H. H. (Ed.), Handbook of affective sciences (pp. 852-870).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:51691", author = "Arthur Yan", title = "Explorations in the Role of Emotion in Moral Judgment", abstract = "Recent theorizations on the cognitive process of moral
judgment have focused on the role of intuitions and emotions, marking
a departure from previous emphasis on conscious, step-by-step
reasoning. My study investigated how being in a disgusted mood state
affects moral judgment.
Participants were induced to enter a disgusted mood state through
listening to disgusting sounds and reading disgusting descriptions.
Results shows that they, when compared to control who have not been
induced to feel disgust, are more likely to endorse actions that are
emotionally aversive but maximizes utilitarian return
The result is analyzed using the 'emotion-as-information' approach
to decision making. The result is consistent with the view that
emotions play an important role in determining moral judgment.", keywords = "Disgust, mood induction, moral judgment,emotion-as-information.", volume = "2", number = "4", pages = "226-5", }