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A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 27898

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Dr. Chuanjun Liu

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Guest Editor

School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: behavioral ethics; moral decision-making; business ethics; moral education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jiangqun Liao

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Guest Editor

School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: economic decision-making; moral judgment and choice; embodied cognition

Prof. Dr. Yuchang Jin

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Guest Editor

Department of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China
Interests: psychology of decision-making; health psychology; cross-cultural psychology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Morality is a multi-disciplinary issue that is discussed in many disciplines, including philosophy, ethics, sociology, psychology, management, political science and so on. At the individual level, morality comprises how people master the moral rules as the core of human civilization, form reasonable moral reasoning thinking, cultivate intuitive moral feelings, and carry out social behaviors in line with the requirements of moral norms. At the interpersonal level, morality means harmonious coexistence and positive altruism, which means caring, helping and promoting others instead of indifference, hindrance and inhibition. From the organizational context level, morality means a positive ethical climate, which means rule and responsibility orientation rather than private interest and instrumental orientation. At the national and social level, morality means the positive development power of society as a whole and means the stability and self-mobility of the social structure. From the perspective of cross-cultural and human beings as a whole, morality means the pursuit of moral norms for cultural universality and respect for the differences of different cultures. The multidimensional nature of morality determines that it is an important subject concerned by multiple disciplines. Therefore, we welcome theoretical and empirical contributions from different disciplines to open up a multidisciplinary understanding of moral issues.

Dr. Chuanjun Liu
Dr. Jiangqun Liao
Prof. Dr. Yuchang Jin
Guest Editors

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Keywords

moral dilemma
moral judgment
health ethics
business ethics
organizational ethics
moral sociology
moral psychology
behavioral ethics

Related Special Issue

Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives—Second Edition in Behavioral Sciences

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trait Mindfulness and Problematic Smartphone Use in Chinese Early Adolescent: The Multiple Mediating Roles of Negative Affectivity and Fear of Missing Out

by Yuchang Jin, Wen Xiong, Xinyun Liu and Junxiu An

Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13030222 - 03 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2126

Abstract

This study used a cross-sectional study design to investigate whether the mindfulness trait was a protective factor against problematic smartphone use (PSPU) of early adolescents, and whether negative affectivity and fear of missing out (FoMO) mediated this relationship. The study selected a sample of middle school students (N = 517, 46.03% males, M_age = 13.81, SD = 1.40) in China. The results of the structural equation modelling indicated that (a) mindfulness significantly and negatively predicted PSPU, (b) FoMO played a mediating role between mindfulness and PSPU, (c) negative affectivity (including depression and anxiety) played a mediating role between mindfulness and PSPU, but loneliness did not, and (d) negative affectivity and FoMO played a chain-mediated role, and depression, anxiety, and loneliness played a chain-mediated role with FoMO between mindfulness and PSPU. We discuss the possibility that high levels of mindfulness in early adolescents may reduce the short-term effects of problematic smartphone use by reducing negative emotions and FoMO and relate our results to an emphasis on the role of enhanced mindfulness in long-term internal self-regulation and well-being. Findings have implications for individuals and schools for PSPU prevention and intervention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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14 pages, 1140 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Moral Judgments of Human vs. AI Agents in Moral Dilemmas

by Yuyan Zhang, Jiahua Wu, Feng Yu and Liying Xu

Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13020181 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3993

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has quickly integrated into human society and its moral decision-making has also begun to slowly seep into our lives. The significance of moral judgment research on artificial intelligence behavior is becoming increasingly prominent. The present research aims at examining how people make moral judgments about the behavior of artificial intelligence agents in a trolley dilemma where people are usually driven by controlled cognitive processes, and in a footbridge dilemma where people are usually driven by automatic emotional responses. Through three experiments (n = 626), we found that in the trolley dilemma (Experiment 1), the agent type rather than the actual action influenced people’s moral judgments. Specifically, participants rated AI agents’ behavior as more immoral and deserving of more blame than humans’ behavior. Conversely, in the footbridge dilemma (Experiment 2), the actual action rather than the agent type influenced people’s moral judgments. Specifically, participants rated action (a utilitarian act) as less moral and permissible and more morally wrong and blameworthy than inaction (a deontological act). A mixed-design experiment provided a pattern of results consistent with Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 (Experiment 3). This suggests that in different types of moral dilemmas, people adapt different modes of moral judgment to artificial intelligence, this may be explained by that when people make moral judgments in different types of moral dilemmas, they are engaging different processing systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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21 pages, 870 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AI Experience Predicts Identification with Humankind

by Congyu Wang and Kaiping Peng

Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13020089 - 21 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2914

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is becoming a potential outgroup of humans, which, according to social identity theory, may make humanity more salient. To explore how identification with humankind correlates to being exposed to artificial intelligence, we developed an AI Experience Questionnaire to measure this relationship and demonstrated that AI experience positively predicted human identity (Study 1a, N = 806). This correlation held when controlling for AI threats, educational level, international mobility experience, gender, and age (Study 2, N = 981, M_age = 27.55 ± 6.74; 448 males, 533 females). Study 1a also demonstrated that AI awareness—consisting of perceived anthropomorphism and perceived proximity—mediated the relationship between AI experience and human identity. This mediation model was replicated half a year later (Study 1b, N = 886). Moreover, a moderation analysis demonstrated that for both Easterners and Westerners, the correlation between AI experience and human identity was significantly positive; however, Western culture amplified the correlation (Study 3; N = 177, M_age = 32.35 ± 10.99; 90 Easterners, 87 Westerners). To conclude, persons with more AI experience may be more inclined to perceive AI as an outgroup of humans, and therefore AI experience positively predicts identification with humankind. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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12 pages, 1148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Social Value Orientation in Chinese Adolescents’ Moral Emotion Attribution

by Zhanxing Li, Dong Dong and Jun Qiao

Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13010003 - 20 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1421

Abstract

Previous studies have explored the role of cognitive factors and sympathy in children’s development of moral emotion attribution, but the effect of personal dispositional factors on adolescents’ moral emotion expectancy has been neglected. In this study, we address this issue by testing adolescents’ moral emotion attribution with different social value orientation (SVO). Eight hundred and eighty Chinese adolescents were classified into proselfs, prosocials and mixed types in SVO and asked to indicate their moral emotions in four moral contexts (prosocial, antisocial, failing to act prosocially (FAP) and resisting antisocial impulse (RAI)). The findings revealed an obvious contextual effect in adolescents’ moral emotion attribution and the effect depends on SVO. Prosocials evaluated more positively than proselfs and mixed types in the prosocial and RAI contexts, but proselfs evaluated more positively than prosocials and mixed types in the antisocial and FAP contexts. The findings indicate that individual differences of adolescents’ moral emotion attribution have roots in their social value orientation, and suggest the role of dispositional factors in the processing of moral emotion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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11 pages, 836 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feeling One Thing and Doing Another: How Expressions of Guilt and Shame Influence Hypocrisy Judgment

by Hyeman Choi

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120504 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1589

Abstract

The present study investigated how people, as uninvolved social observers (i.e., those not affected by the emotion expresser’s behavior), judge hypocrisy in a target who publicly expresses their self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame and guilt) after making an immoral decision, then repeats the same immoral behavior again. Results across the two studies conducted showed that participants viewed the target as more hypocritical when the target expressed guilt (vs. shame) for their past misdeed and then committed the same act again. The present study suggests that social perceivers tend to infer expressions of guilt (and of shame to a lesser degree) as signaling future changes, which is reflected in judgments of hypocrisy. The study further discusses implications for the social functions of emotional expression and communication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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19 pages, 1025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissociating the Multiple Psychological Processes in Everyday Moral Decision-Making with the CAN Algorithm

by Zhongju Xie, Junhong Wu, Xingyuan Wang, Ziyi Zheng and Chuanjun Liu

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120501 - 08 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1488

Abstract

In previous research frameworks, researchers used an everyday dilemma to test people’s altruistic versus egoistic inclination. However, there are at least three different psychological processes that could induce altruistic over egoistic decisions, i.e., stronger altruistic sensitivity, weaker egoistic sensitivity, and stronger overall action versus inaction preference. To dissociate these different psychological processes, we developed new materials and applied the CAN algorithm from traditional moral dilemma research in two studies. In Study 1, we designed scenarios varying with a 2 (egoistic/non-egoistic) × 2 (non-altruistic/altruistic) structure. Then, we recruited 209 participants to validate the scenarios and filtered six scene frameworks with 24 scenarios in total. In Study 2, we recruited 747 participants to judge whether they would conduct behavior that is simultaneously altruistic (or non-altruistic) and egoistic (or non-egoistic) in the filtered scenarios obtained from Study 1. They also filled in the Social Isolation Scale, Distress Disclosure Scale, and some other demographic information. As we dissociated the psychological processes using the CAN algorithm, significant correlations between social isolation and distress disclosure and three parameters (i.e., altruistic tendency, egoistic tendency, and overall action/inaction preference) underlying the altruistic choice were revealed to varying degrees. Other individual differences in the psychological processes in everyday moral decision-making were further demonstrated. Our study provided materials and methodological protocols to dissociate the multiple psychological processes in everyday moral decision-making. It promotes our insights on everyday moral decisions from a differential psychological processes perspective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

12 pages, 846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anticipatory Stress Increases Deontological Inclinations: The Mediating Role of Emotional Valence

by Zhongquan Li, Liuping Gao and Lisong Zhang

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120476 - 24 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1685

Abstract

Previous studies have explored the differences in moral judgments under normal situations and acute stress using the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The present study examined whether anticipatory stress (i.e., induced by an anticipated speech) could elicit similar effects and further explored the mediation of emotional responses between acute stress and moral judgments with a process-dissociation approach. Fifty-three undergraduate students (20 males and 33 females) were randomly assigned to the stress and control groups. In the first stage, they were instructed to prepare a public speech (the stress group) or just recall events during the previous vacation (the control group). In the second stage, they reported emotional valence and arousal for each moral dilemma in a set of 12 moral dilemmas, followed by judgments on moral acceptability of the agent’s action. The manipulation check confirmed that anticipatory stress was reliably induced, as indicated in both self-reported and physiological data. The traditional dilemma analysis revealed that participants in the stress group would make fewer utilitarian judgments than those in the control group. The process dissociation (PD) analyses further revealed that the stress group exhibited higher deontological inclinations than the control group, but no significant differences in utilitarian inclinations. Emotional valence played a mediating role in the association between stress and deontological inclinations. To sum up, our study extended the investigation of the relationship between acute stress and moral judgment to anticipatory stress, clarified its distinct impact on deontological and utilitarian inclinations, and revealed the mediating effect of emotional valence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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16 pages, 457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Response to Food Corporate Social Irresponsibility: Food Performance and Company Ethics Irresponsibility

by Weiping Yu, Dongyang Si and Jun Zhou

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12110461 - 19 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1908

Abstract

Corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) seriously damages the rights and interests of stakeholders, particularly consumers. This study analyzes the consumer response to food performance irresponsibility and food corporate ethics irresponsibility by moral emotions. A situational simulation experiment was conducted with the following results: (1) Food performance irresponsibility has the greatest impact on consumer boycotts, while corporate ethics irresponsibility more often leads to consumers’ negative word of mouth (NWOM). (2) Moral emotions play a strong mediating role between CSI and consumers’ NWOM and boycott behavior. (3) Gender significantly moderates the propagation path from moral emotions to NWOM, and female consumers react more strongly to food performance irresponsibility. In conclusion, the paper offers empirical evidence of the effect food corporate social irresponsibility has on consumers’ different responses. Furthermore, it can help food enterprises to identify different CSI types and develop corresponding governance strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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14 pages, 672 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Ingroup Identification on Ingroup Favouritism during Fairness Norm Enforcement

by Zhen Zhang, Hanli Su, Menghui Li, Hui Zhao and Chunhui Qi

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12110415 - 27 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1806

Abstract

People tend to voluntarily sacrifice their own interests to reject unfair proposals, and this behaviour is affected by group affiliation. While group bias is a well-established phenomenon, its direction is still unclear, and little attention has been given to possible moderating factors. In two studies, we manipulate participants’ ingroup identification and investigate whether and how individuals with various levels of ingroup identification react differently to unfairness from ingroups and outgroups during an incentivized (Study 1, N = 46) and hypothetical (Study 2, N = 332) ultimatum game. The results show that participants display a strong preference for their own group. High identifiers tend to accept unfair proposals from ingroups compared to outgroups, whereas this effect is nonsignificant for low identifiers, especially for moderately unfair treatment (offer 7:3). Moreover, higher identification tends to be accompanied by higher ingroup positive expectation, which then leads to greater ingroup favouritism for an offer of 7:3. These results imply that ingroup identification can enhance group favouritism during fairness norm enforcement through ingroup positive expectation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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11 pages, 582 KiB

Open AccessArticle

People Cheat on Task Performance When They Feel Bored: The Mediating Role of State Self-Efficacy

by Chun Feng, Chuanjun Liu and Min Zhong

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12100380 - 03 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1638

Abstract

It is unclear whether the state of boredom is related to morality. The present study investigated how state boredom influenced cheating behaviors on task performance. In Study 1 (N = 104), participants were induced to feel bored, and then reported whether they had finished an anagram task (two sentences in the task were unsolvable). The results found that people with higher boredom showed more cheating behaviors than those with lower boredom on task performance. In Study 2 (N = 139), participants completed the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale, and then completed the same anagram task as in Study 1, as well as a state self-efficacy scale. The results revealed that state self-efficacy mediated the effect of state boredom on cheating behaviors on task performance. In other words, a higher level of state boredom leads to a lower level of state self-efficacy, and the lower state self-efficacy then results in more cheating behaviors. The present study provides empirical evidence that state boredom has its moral function through state self-efficacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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17 pages, 4822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethical Risk Factors and Mechanisms in Artificial Intelligence Decision Making

by Hongjun Guan, Liye Dong and Aiwu Zhao

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12090343 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4742

Abstract

While artificial intelligence (AI) technology can enhance social wellbeing and progress, it also generates ethical decision-making dilemmas such as algorithmic discrimination, data bias, and unclear accountability. In this paper, we identify the ethical risk factors of AI decision making from the perspective of qualitative research, construct a risk-factor model of AI decision making ethical risks using rooting theory, and explore the mechanisms of interaction between risks through system dynamics, based on which risk management strategies are proposed. We find that technological uncertainty, incomplete data, and management errors are the main sources of ethical risks in AI decision making and that the intervention of risk governance elements can effectively block the social risks arising from algorithmic, technological, and data risks. Accordingly, we propose strategies for the governance of ethical risks in AI decision making from the perspectives of management, research, and development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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Review

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14 pages, 1210 KiB

Open AccessReview

Civic-Moral Education Research in China (1992–2022): A Scoping Review

by Le Shi, Lingjun Chen and Rui Gong

Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 819; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13100819 - 05 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1579

Abstract

Civic-moral education is a topic that has been widely discussed globally. In China, civic-moral education has a long history and presents different characteristics and methods from other countries due to political, economic, and cultural factors. To summarize the current status of research on civic-moral education in China, we identified 715 papers in 30 years (1992–2022) under related topics and selected a total of 72 papers for further analysis. To show the study trend more clearly, we divided the result section into three parts: the historical and cultural resources of education, the current educational approaches, and the existing challenges in civic-moral education. China is rich in historical resources for civic-moral education, which had an impact across generations. Currently, Chinese educators employ many approaches to improve civic-moral education: building a civic-moral curriculum system, transforming the social climate, and making the most use of the campus. The emphasis on intelligence over morality and the emphasis on knowledge over action, however, may undermine the effectiveness of civic-moral education. To conclude, China attaches great importance to civic-moral education and has come up with many approaches inspired by ancient cultural resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Picturing Morality from Multidisciplinary Perspectives)

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