Cognitive load selectively interferes with utilitarian moral judgment

Greene, Joshua D.; Morelli, Sylvia A.; Lowenberg, Kelly; Nystrom, Leigh E.; Cohen, Jonathan D.

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2007.11.004

Cited by 930 publications

(970 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Cognitive load, a manipulation often used to impair deliberative processing, has been applied in various different studies whose results can be explained with the RIM. Selfcontrol (e.g., Lattimore & Maxwell, 2004 ;Wegner, Erber, & Zanakos, 1993 ), processing of negated stimuli (Deutsch et al 2009 ), social judgments and attributions (Gilbert et al, 1988 ;Krull & Erickson, 1995 ;Trope & Alfi eri, 1997 ), moral judgments (Greene, Morelli, Lowenberg, Nystrom, & Cohen, 2008 ), and general reasoning (De Neys, 2006 ) have all proven to be impaired by cognitive load in ways that are consistent with the RIM's predictions. The idea that working memory resources may also play a role in refl ective processing has been tested in several studies, both by comparing individuals with dispositionally high or low working memory capacities (Hofmann, Gschwendner, Friese, Wiers, & Schmitt, 2008 ;Thush et al, 2008 ) and by specifi cally taxing resources of working memory (Deutsch et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Motivation and Opportunitysupporting

confidence: 64%

Reflection and Impulse as Determinants of Human Behavior

Krishna

Strack

2017

Knowledge and Space

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Section: Motivation and Opportunitysupporting

confidence: 64%

Reflection and Impulse as Determinants of Human Behavior

Krishna

Strack

2017

Knowledge and Space

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“…dishonesty ͉ fMRI ͉ honesty ͉ lie detection ͉ moral judgment R ecent research in moral psychology/neuroscience has focused on the respective roles of automatic and controlled processes in moral judgment (1,2), particularly in the context of hypothetical dilemmas involving life-and-death tradeoffs (''trolley problems'') (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Comparably little is known about the cognitive processes that generate honest and dishonest behavior (12,13), and the neural bases of choices to behave honestly or dishonestly have, to our knowledge, never been studied specifically.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of neural activity associated with honest and dishonest moral decisions

Greene

Paxton

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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What makes people behave honestly when confronted with opportunities for dishonest gain? Research on the interplay between controlled and automatic processes in decision making suggests 2 hypotheses: According to the “Will” hypothesis, honesty results from the active resistance of temptation, comparable to the controlled cognitive processes that enable the delay of reward. According to the “Grace” hypothesis, honesty results from the absence of temptation, consistent with research emphasizing the determination of behavior by the presence or absence of automatic processes. To test these hypotheses, we examined neural activity in individuals confronted with opportunities for dishonest gain. Subjects undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) gained money by accurately predicting the outcomes of computerized coin-flips. In some trials, subjects recorded their predictions in advance. In other trials, subjects were rewarded based on self-reported accuracy, allowing them to gain money dishonestly by lying about the accuracy of their predictions. Many subjects behaved dishonestly, as indicated by improbable levels of “accuracy.” Our findings support the Grace hypothesis. Individuals who behaved honestly exhibited no additional control-related activity (or other kind of activity) when choosing to behave honestly, as compared with a control condition in which there was no opportunity for dishonest gain. In contrast, individuals who behaved dishonestly exhibited increased activity in control-related regions of prefrontal cortex, both when choosing to behave dishonestly and on occasions when they refrained from dishonesty. Levels of activity in these regions correlated with the frequency of dishonesty in individuals.

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“…Cognitive load refers to the load placed on working memory, and has been linked with ethical reasoning (Greene et al, 2008). Cognitive load presents a distraction which might impair an individual's ability to be attentive to their present experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In the Moment: The Effect of Mindfulness on Ethical Decision Making

2010

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Many unethical decisions stem from a lack of awareness. In this article, we consider how mindfulness, an individual's awareness of his or her present experience, impacts ethical decision making. In our first study, we demonstrate that compared to individuals low in mindfulness, individuals high in mindfulness report that they are more likely to act ethically, are more likely to value upholding ethical standards (self-importance of moral identity, SMI), and are more likely to use a principled approach to ethical decision making (formalism). In our second study, we test this relationship with a novel behavioral measure of unethical behavior: the carbonless anagram method (CAM). We find that of participants who cheated, compared to individuals low in mindfulness, individuals high in mindfulness cheated less. Taken THE WHARTON RISK MANAGEMENT AND DECISION PROCESSES CENTEREstablished in 1984, the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center develops and promotes effective corporate and public policies for low-probability events with potentially catastrophic consequences through the integration of risk assessment, and risk perception with risk management strategies. Natural disasters, technological hazards, and national and international security issues (e.g., terrorism risk insurance markets, protection of critical infrastructure, global security) are among the extreme events that are the focus of the Center's research.The Risk Center's neutrality allows it to undertake large-scale projects in conjunction with other researchers and organizations in the public and private sectors. Building on the disciplines of economics, decision sciences, finance, insurance, marketing and psychology, the Center supports and undertakes field and experimental studies of risk and uncertainty to better understand how individuals and organizations make choices under conditions of risk and uncertainty. Risk Center research also investigates the effectiveness of strategies such as risk communication, information sharing, incentive systems, insurance, regulation and public-private collaborations at a national and international scale. From these findings, the Wharton Risk Center's research team -over 50 faculty, fellows and doctoral students -is able to design new approaches to enable individuals and organizations to make better decisions regarding risk under various regulatory and market conditions. The Center is also concerned with training leading decision makers. It actively engages multiple viewpoints, including top-level representatives from industry, government, international organizations, interest groups and academics through its research and policy publications, and through sponsored seminars, roundtables and forums.More information is available at http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/risk. Many unethical decisions stem from a lack of awareness. In this article, we consider how mindfulness, an individual's awareness of his or her present experience, impacts ethical decision making. In our first study, we demonstrate that...

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Cognitive load selectively interferes with utilitarian moral judgment

Cited by 930 publications

References 34 publications

Reflection and Impulse as Determinants of Human Behavior

Reflection and Impulse as Determinants of Human Behavior

Patterns of neural activity associated with honest and dishonest moral decisions

In the Moment: The Effect of Mindfulness on Ethical Decision Making

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