Work

Adolescents Are More Utilitarian Than Adults in Group Moral Decision‐Making

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: = 20.92, n = 99) in moral dilemmas. Participants were asked to make moral decisions individually and then collectively within groups of three to reach a consensus in Trolly dilemma and Footbridge dilemma. They were also required to evaluate the degree to which they felt their decisions were moral. Results showed that adolescents tended to choose "action" (pull the lever in Trolly dilemma, or push the man in Footbridge dilemma) more than adults, and evaluate their "no action" choice as more immoral than young adults across both individual and group settings. Adolescents showed consistent decision-making patterns regardless of whether decisions were made individually or collectively, while adults were more likely to choose "no action" in group decision-making. Our results suggest that adolescents are more utilitarian than young adults when making decisions in moral dilemmas, compared to young adults. Young adults are less likely to make utilitarian choices when they are in groups than when they make decisions individually.

Source: PsyCh Journal

DOI: 10.1002/pchj.821

Authors: Yingying Jiang, Weiwei Zhang, Yingjia Wan, Michaela Gummerum, Liqi Zhu

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Women's University, University of Warwick

Language: English

Topic: Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,750

Funders: Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, National Social Science Fund of China