Overriding Moral Intuitions – Does It Make Us Immoral? Dual-Process Theory of Higher Cognition Account for Moral Reasoning
Moral decisions are considered as an intuitive process,
while conscious reasoning is mostly used only to justify those
intuitions. This problem is described in few different dual-process
theories of mind, that are being developed e.g. by Frederick and
Kahneman, Stanovich and Evans. Those theories recently evolved
into tri-process theories with a proposed process that makes ultimate
decision or allows to paraformal processing with focal bias..
Presented experiment compares the decision patterns to the
implications of those models.
In presented study participants (n=179) considered different
aspects of trolley dilemma or its footbridge version and decided after
that.
Results show that in the control group 70% of people decided to
use the lever to change tracks for the running trolley, and 20% chose
to push the fat man down the tracks. In contrast, after experimental
manipulation almost no one decided to act. Also the decision time
difference between dilemmas disappeared after experimental
manipulation.
The result supports the idea of three co-working processes:
intuitive (TASS), paraformal (reflective mind) and algorithmic
process.
[1] Parfit D. (1997). Reasons and Motivation. Aristotelian Society
Supplementary Volume 71 (1):99-130.
[2] Haidt, J . (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social
intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Psychological Review. 108,
814-834
[3] Haidt, J. (2007). The new synthesis in moral psychology. Science, 316,
998-1002
[4] Suter, R., & Hertwig, R. (2011). Time and moral judgment. Cognition,
119, 454-458
[5] Paxton, J.M., Ungar, L., Greene, J.D., (2011 ePub, 2012) Reflection and
reasoning in moral judgment. Cognitive Science, 36(1) 163-177
[6] Broeders, R., Bos, K. van den, Mueller, P.A. & Ham, J.R.C. (2011).
Should I save or should I not kill? How people solve moral dilemmas
depends on which rule is most salient. Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, 47(5), 923-934.
[7] Evans, J.St.B.T. (2008). Dual-processing accounts of reasoning,
judgement and social cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 255-
278.
[8] Evans, J.St.B.T. (2010). Thinking twice: Two minds in one brain.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[9] Stanovich, K. E. (2009). Distinguishing the reflective, algorithmic, and
autonomous minds: Is it time for a tri-process theory? In J. Evans & K.
Frankish (Eds.), In two minds: Dual processes and beyond (pp. 55-88).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[10] Stanovich, K. E., Toplak, M. E., & West, R. F. (2008). The development
of rational thought: A taxonomy of heuristics and biases. Advances in
child development and behaviour, 36, 251-285.
[11] Goel V, Dolan RJ. Explaining modulation of reasoning by belief.
Cognition 2003; 87: B11-22.
[12] Manktelow, K.I. (2012) Thinking and Reasoning: Psychological
Perspectives on Reason, Judgment and Decision Making. Hove:
Psychology Press.
[13] Foot, P. (1967). The problem of abortion and the doctrine of the double
effect. Oxford Review, 5, 5-15.
[14] Thomson, J. J. (1986). The trolley problem. In J. J. Thomson, Rights,
restitution, and risk. Essays in moral theory (pp. 94-116). Cambridge:
Harvard University Press.
[15] Lanteri, A, Chelini, C and Rizzello, S (2008) 'An experimental
investigation of emotions and reasoning in the trolley problem', Journal
of Business Ethics , 83:4, 789-804
[16] Shallow, C., Iliev, R., & Medin, D. (2011). Trolley problems in context
Judgment and Decision Making, 6 (7), 593-601
[17] Hauser, M. D., Cushman, F. A., Young, L., Kang-Xing Jin, R., &
Mikhail, J. (2007). A dissociation between moral judgments and
justifications. Mind and Language 22(1): 1-21.
[18] Royzman, E. B., & Baron, J. (2002). The preference for indirect harm.
Social Justice Research, 15, 165-184.
[19] Waldmann, M. & Dieterich, J. (2007). Throwing a bomb on a person
versus throwing a person on a bomb: Intervention myopia in moral
intuitions. Psychological Science, 18, 247-253.
[1] Parfit D. (1997). Reasons and Motivation. Aristotelian Society
Supplementary Volume 71 (1):99-130.
[2] Haidt, J . (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social
intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Psychological Review. 108,
814-834
[3] Haidt, J. (2007). The new synthesis in moral psychology. Science, 316,
998-1002
[4] Suter, R., & Hertwig, R. (2011). Time and moral judgment. Cognition,
119, 454-458
[5] Paxton, J.M., Ungar, L., Greene, J.D., (2011 ePub, 2012) Reflection and
reasoning in moral judgment. Cognitive Science, 36(1) 163-177
[6] Broeders, R., Bos, K. van den, Mueller, P.A. & Ham, J.R.C. (2011).
Should I save or should I not kill? How people solve moral dilemmas
depends on which rule is most salient. Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, 47(5), 923-934.
[7] Evans, J.St.B.T. (2008). Dual-processing accounts of reasoning,
judgement and social cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 255-
278.
[8] Evans, J.St.B.T. (2010). Thinking twice: Two minds in one brain.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[9] Stanovich, K. E. (2009). Distinguishing the reflective, algorithmic, and
autonomous minds: Is it time for a tri-process theory? In J. Evans & K.
Frankish (Eds.), In two minds: Dual processes and beyond (pp. 55-88).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[10] Stanovich, K. E., Toplak, M. E., & West, R. F. (2008). The development
of rational thought: A taxonomy of heuristics and biases. Advances in
child development and behaviour, 36, 251-285.
[11] Goel V, Dolan RJ. Explaining modulation of reasoning by belief.
Cognition 2003; 87: B11-22.
[12] Manktelow, K.I. (2012) Thinking and Reasoning: Psychological
Perspectives on Reason, Judgment and Decision Making. Hove:
Psychology Press.
[13] Foot, P. (1967). The problem of abortion and the doctrine of the double
effect. Oxford Review, 5, 5-15.
[14] Thomson, J. J. (1986). The trolley problem. In J. J. Thomson, Rights,
restitution, and risk. Essays in moral theory (pp. 94-116). Cambridge:
Harvard University Press.
[15] Lanteri, A, Chelini, C and Rizzello, S (2008) 'An experimental
investigation of emotions and reasoning in the trolley problem', Journal
of Business Ethics , 83:4, 789-804
[16] Shallow, C., Iliev, R., & Medin, D. (2011). Trolley problems in context
Judgment and Decision Making, 6 (7), 593-601
[17] Hauser, M. D., Cushman, F. A., Young, L., Kang-Xing Jin, R., &
Mikhail, J. (2007). A dissociation between moral judgments and
justifications. Mind and Language 22(1): 1-21.
[18] Royzman, E. B., & Baron, J. (2002). The preference for indirect harm.
Social Justice Research, 15, 165-184.
[19] Waldmann, M. & Dieterich, J. (2007). Throwing a bomb on a person
versus throwing a person on a bomb: Intervention myopia in moral
intuitions. Psychological Science, 18, 247-253.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:61562", author = "Michał Białek and Simon J. Handley", title = "Overriding Moral Intuitions – Does It Make Us Immoral? Dual-Process Theory of Higher Cognition Account for Moral Reasoning", abstract = "Moral decisions are considered as an intuitive process,
while conscious reasoning is mostly used only to justify those
intuitions. This problem is described in few different dual-process
theories of mind, that are being developed e.g. by Frederick and
Kahneman, Stanovich and Evans. Those theories recently evolved
into tri-process theories with a proposed process that makes ultimate
decision or allows to paraformal processing with focal bias..
Presented experiment compares the decision patterns to the
implications of those models.
In presented study participants (n=179) considered different
aspects of trolley dilemma or its footbridge version and decided after
that.
Results show that in the control group 70% of people decided to
use the lever to change tracks for the running trolley, and 20% chose
to push the fat man down the tracks. In contrast, after experimental
manipulation almost no one decided to act. Also the decision time
difference between dilemmas disappeared after experimental
manipulation.
The result supports the idea of three co-working processes:
intuitive (TASS), paraformal (reflective mind) and algorithmic
process.", keywords = "Moral reasoning, moral decision, reflection, trolley
problem, dual-process theory of reasoning, tri-process theory of
cognition.", volume = "7", number = "5", pages = "1245-4", }