Search Results (235)

Background: Moral development (MD) arises from the interaction of attachment, temperament, emotion regulation, and decision-making. Children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently show impairments across these domains, suggesting increased vulnerability to disruptions in MD. However, the mechanisms linking ADHD to MD remain poorly understood. Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed was searched for studies published between January 2014 and November 2024 examining MD-related constructs, including moral reasoning, fairness, aggression, bullying, callous–unemotional (CU) traits, decision-making, and reward sensitivity, in individuals aged 0–18 years with diagnosed or subclinical ADHD. Due to substantial heterogeneity in study design, measures, and outcomes, a qualitative synthesis was performed. Results: Of the 2104 records identified, 23 studies met inclusion criteria. Insecure or disorganized attachment, difficult temperament, and emotional dysregulation consistently emerged as developmental risk factors for impaired MD. Hyperactivity–impulsivity and deficient inhibitory control were strongly associated with aggressive and antisocial behaviors. Children with ADHD demonstrated a pronounced preference for immediate over delayed rewards, altered decision-making in social contexts, and reduced sensitivity to positive feedback. CU traits and aggression were frequently identified as behavioral correlates of MD impairments, particularly in interaction with family adversity and comorbid externalizing conditions. Social dysfunction, including bullying involvement, peer rejection, and interpersonal difficulties, was common and contributed to elevated long-term psychosocial risk. Conclusions: ADHD is associated with multidimensional vulnerabilities in MD through intertwined cognitive, emotional, and relational pathways. Interventions targeting attachment security, emotion regulation, reward processing, and social skills may foster MD and reduce later social difficulties. Longitudinal and cross-cultural research is needed to clarify causal mechanisms and inform developmentally sensitive prevention and treatment strategies. Full article

In this paper I aim to draw attention to the continued emphasis on ‘moral tales in stories of family construction. In research projects on both conventional family practices such as marriage and non-conventional ones such as living apart together (LAT) and mixed-sex civil partnerships, morality continues to emerge as a core guiding principle for how relationships are organised and maintained. Yet beyond the importance of children in these moral tales, little consideration is given to the other dimensions and shapes that this ‘morality’ may take. Here I bring together three qualitative research projects to illustrate the strong drive of moral obligations in the face of family fluidity, relationship plurality, and individualised therapeutic discourse. With this data I argue that obligations continue to organise relationship decision-making, and we can imagine these obligations as formed of three interrelated dimensions: (1) social ‘oughts’, formed of culture, norms, and values (e.g., we ought to get married because that is the normal thing to do in our society), (2) relational ‘oughts’, including children, family, friends, life/family course, death, health (e.g., we ought to live apart to protect the children), and (3) individual ‘oughts’, which involve strongly held personal beliefs, and an ethic of self-care (e.g., we ought to get a civil partnership because it aligns with my feminist values). Understanding the shape of contemporary intimate morality is an important step in developing future theory, policy, and practice in the field. Full article

Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and The Wealth of Nations (1776) offer a distinctive perspective on moral development that avoids succumbing to the limitations of capitalism and utilitarianism by supporting both moral agency and the importance of enabling structures and systems in commerce. Corruption of moral sentiments cannot be averted by enforcing only mechanical structures and systems of compliance with governance rules, regulations, and disciplinary processes to control employees. Compliance then follows a means-to-an-end logic for maximising profit, which becomes a barrier for autonomous moral development or is even incapable of moral decision-making, as suggested by Hannah Arendt. Smith’s originality lies in grounding this analysis with an affirmative view of human nature and liberty, which enables him to move beyond purely legalistic or moralistic approaches to understand and counter moral failure. Smith offers a distinctive perspective on moral development in commerce, integrating human cognition, moral philosophy, and enabling structural and systemic design that avoids the displacement of responsibility noted by Albert Bandura. For Smith, the corruption of moral sentiments is distorted by the natural need for praise from others at all costs, as opposed to praiseworthy conduct. His remedy is a two-fold process of moral education in which the impartial spectator extends the natural desire for praise to prioritise honour and integrity in behaviour that is praiseworthy. However, moral education also requires a structural social space that is not prescriptive or legalistic to enhance the freedom to develop morally by exercising the choice to strive towards ethical behaviour. In this manner, self-interest enables moral development through natural means that prioritise honourable conduct and perpetuates sympathetic sentiment in which the well-being of others is considered. Full article

The emergence of self-driving vehicles raises not only technological challenges, but also profound moral and legal challenges, especially when the decisions made by these vehicles can affect human lives. The aim of this study is to examine the moral and legal dimensions of algorithmic decision-making and their codifiability, approaching the issue from the perspective of the classic trolley dilemma and the principle of double effect. Using a normative-analytical method, it explores the moral models behind decision-making algorithms, the possibilities and limitations of legal regulation, and the technological and ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence development. One of the main theses of the study is that in the case of self-driving cars, the programming of moral decisions is not merely a theoretical problem, but also a question requiring legal and social legitimacy. The analysis concludes that, given the nature of this borderline area between law and ethics, it is not always possible to avoid such dilemmas, and therefore it is necessary to develop a public, collective, principle-based normative framework that establishes the social acceptability of algorithmic decision-making. Full article

Background: Ethical decision-making in medical care increasingly requires balancing clinical values, professional duties, and organizational reasoning. Understanding how healthcare professionals navigate moral dilemmas necessitates examining the philosophical orientations that shape their ethical judgments. Alongside traditional medical ethics, a business ethics perspective highlights organizational and managerial dimensions of healthcare, offering a more comprehensive understanding of ethical decision-making in modern clinical contexts. Aim: This study aims to examine how healthcare professionals reason about ethical dilemmas by mapping their moral orientations and decision-making patterns across five ethical frameworks-idealism, relativism, objectivism, legalism, and Machiavellianism-integrating both medical and business ethics perspectives. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 277 participants (medical doctors and students). Two validated instruments were used: the Attitudes Toward Business Ethics Questionnaire (ATBEQ) to assess moral orientations and the Clinical Ethical Dilemmas Questionnaire (Richeux & Duquéroy) to evaluate ethical decision patterns. Data were analyzed using correlation, multiple regression, and k-means cluster analyses. Results: Among the five orientations, Legalism negatively predicted “It depends” responses (i.e., higher Legalism scores were associated with fewer indecisive responses), indicating greater decisiveness in ethically ambiguous situations. Unexpected positive correlations were also found between traditionally opposing constructs-such as Ethical Relativism and Moral Objectivism-suggesting moral pluralism. The overall regression model was not statistically significant (R² = 0.04, p = 0.08). Cluster analysis identified four distinct ethical reasoning profiles: High Machiavellian Idealists, Pragmatic Relativists, Context-Sensitive Objectivists, and Ethical Purists. Conclusions: Abstract philosophical orientations showed limited predictive power for contextual ethical decision-making, highlighting the complex and multidimensional nature of moral reasoning in healthcare. Findings inform the design of context-sensitive ethics education programs that integrate philosophical reflection with case-based learning to strengthen ethical competence among medical professionals. Full article

Background: Reward expectation is an important motivation for aggression. However, despite substantial progress in behavioral studies related to reward expectation in aggression, the neural basis underlying this process remains unclear. Methods: To investigate the brain correlates of aggressive reward expectation, we developed the Harm–Gain Task (HGT). In this task, participants were informed that they could gain money by causing harm to another person and were instructed to evaluate their satisfaction with the anticipated monetary reward. Additionally, we designed a questionnaire to measure participants’ moral disengagement concerning aggressive decision-making in the HGT. Thirty-four healthy Chinese university students completed the HGT while in the scanner, and their functional images were acquired using a 3.0-T Siemens Tim Trio scanner. Data from two participants were excluded from the analysis due to excessive head motion. Finally, data from 32 participants (15 males, M_age = 19.97 years, SD_age = 2.07 years) were included in the analyses. Results: Findings show that during the reward expectation phase of the HGT, (1) relative to the baseline condition, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and middle cingulate cortex (MCC) were significantly activated. Conversely, activation in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and bilateral lateral temporal cortex (LTC) was attenuated. (2) As the monetary amount raised, activation in the OFC and ACC significantly increased, while activation in the DLPFC, IPL, and LTC significantly decreased. (3) As the monetary amount raised, the heightened activation in the OFC and ACC was significantly correlated with participants’ aggressive behavior and moral disengagement scores. Conclusions: The results provide preliminary evidence regarding neural correlates in aggressive reward expectation, promoting further exploration of the cognitive neural mechanisms underlying aggression. Full article

Faces are central to human interaction, serving as primary sources of identity, emotional cues, and social judgments. Facial attractiveness is strongly linked to perceptions of trustworthiness and moral goodness, leading to preferential treatment across education, employment, and legal contexts. Deviations from facial norms—such as asymmetry or visible differences—are, by contrast, often associated with negative traits, social avoidance, and dehumanisation. Across cultures and centuries, deliberate facial disfiguration has been used as a form of punishment for perceived moral or legal transgressions. Evidence from ancient Egypt, Mediaeval Europe, and early modern legislation, as well as modern acid attacks, indicates that intentional facial disfiguration has long served as a means of ongoing punishment through humiliation and identity disruption. Motivations for targeting the face may be rooted in its central role in identity, beauty, symmetry, and symbolic purity. Despite contemporary legal efforts to curb acid attacks and related violence, legislation specifically addressing intentional facial disfiguration remains limited. Modern psychological research confirms that acquiring a facial difference can severely impact quality of life, social functioning, and identity. This paper synthesises historical, cultural, and psychological perspectives on punitive facial disfiguration, highlighting its enduring role as a mechanism of social control. Future research should examine perpetrators’ decision-making, possible differences between different types of facial disfiguration, and the perceptual and emotional consequences of different facial injuries to inform prevention strategies and improve support for victims. Full article

Background: While extensive research has examined the antecedents of utilitarian moral judgment, its subsequent social consequences remain less explored. Drawing on the moral reciprocal partner selection model and the moral intuition modular myopia hypothesis, this study investigates the impact of utilitarian moral judgment on bystander cooperation behavior and the moderating role of personal force. Objectives: This research aims to determine whether utilitarian moral judgments, compared to non-utilitarian ones, decrease bystander cooperation (Hypothesis 1), and whether this effect is more pronounced when the utilitarian judgment involves personal force (Hypothesis 2). Methods: Two progressive between-subjects experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 (N = 159) employed a single-factor design (utilitarian vs. non-utilitarian judgment) using a footbridge dilemma scenario and a trust task to measure cooperation. Experiment 2 (N = 346) utilized a 2 (judgment: utilitarian vs. non-utilitarian) × 2 (personal force: personal force vs. no personal force) factorial design, employing the same trust task. Results: In Experiment 1, bystanders invested significantly fewer tokens in the trust task after observing a utilitarian judgment compared to a non-utilitarian one. Experiment 2 revealed a significant main effect of moral judgment and a significant interaction between moral judgment and personal force. Simple effects analysis confirmed that the negative effect of utilitarian judgments on cooperation was stronger when personal force was involved. Conclusions: Utilitarian moral judgments reduce bystander cooperation compared to non-utilitarian judgments, and this reduction is more substantial when the judgment involves personal force. These findings highlight the interpersonal costs of utilitarian decision-making and underscore the importance of contextual features like personal force in understanding its social reception. Full article

Background/Objectives: Persuasive communication in moral decision-making contexts involves complex emotional and cognitive processes. This study aimed to investigate electrophysiological (EEG) dissimilarity between individuals during a persuasive interaction on a moral dilemma. Methods: Participants were paired into 14 dyads in which a member assumed the role of Persuasive Agent (PA) and the other of Persuasion Target (PT), discussing a moral decision-making scenario while their neural activity was recorded through an EEG hyperscanning paradigm. Dyads were later categorized based on perceived viewpoint change (high, mixed, low), and dissimilarity within dyads in EEG bands was analyzed across frontal, temporo-central, and parieto-occipital regions in left and right hemispheres. Results: Results showed a significant increase in frontal delta-band dissimilarity in mixed dyads, compared to temporo-central and parieto-occipital areas. The greater frontal delta dissimilarity in mixed dyads likely reflects divergent emotional and motivational engagement during persuasion. Specifically, individuals who changed their viewpoint may have exhibited stronger emotional resonance and attentional engagement compared to their partner. Conclusions: The study advances understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying persuasion in morally charged contexts and offers new insights into dyadic brain dynamics during complex social exchanges. Full article

The 1974 Supreme Court decision Lau v. Nichols established a legal and moral foundation for linguistic equity in American public education. However, the legacy of Lau is still up for debate fifty years later. Through the entwined histories of bilingual education, federal enforcement, and ideological shift, this paper re-examines the ruling. It charts the evolution of dual-language immersion models from transitional bilingual programs, showing how local politics and federal policy have alternately increased and limited linguistic rights. The paper makes the case that Lau’s original vision has been altered by cycles of progress and backlash, reflecting larger conflicts between assimilation and pluralism, rights and resources, equity and gentrification. It does this by drawing on theories of language ideology and raciolinguistics. This analysis shows that language justice in the US depends on institutional and civic commitment as well as legal precedent by placing Lau within the political economy of education reform. Full article

Background/Objectives: Proficiency in moral reasoning is essential for healthcare providers to successfully navigate ethically challenging decision-making. It is critical that student dentists about to enter practice have well-developed moral reasoning skills to ensure optimal patient care. The aim of the present study was to investigate the moral reasoning ability of students undertaking their final year of the undergraduate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme at the University of Adelaide (UofA) in Australia. Methods: Sixty-six final-year BDS students were invited to participate in an e-survey which included the Defined Issues Test 2 (DIT-2), a validated instrument for measuring moral reasoning. Calculated DIT-2 scores incorporatedthe postconventional (P) score and N2 score. Data analysis of demographic details and scores related to the DIT-2 included the use of t-tests, Mann–Whitney and the Spearman rank correlation coefficient tests. Results: A response rate of 45.5% (n = 30) was recorded. The mean (95% CI) P and N2 scores were 37.80 (32.04, 43.56) and 42.12 (37.72, 46.53), respectively. Scores for females and for those who had undertaken the majority of their pre-BDS studies outside of Australia and New Zealand were higher, but the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). A Spearman Correlation Coefficient test indicated that age was moderately associated (r = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.65; p = 0.04) with N2 scores. Conclusions: Moral reasoning scores were comparable to studies among similar cohorts conducted in other countries but were less than the scores considered optimal for a healthcare provider to proficiently manage challenges to ethical decision-making. Consideration should be given to the introduction of appropriate formal training in ethics to better manage these challenges. Full article

The collaborative model between manufacturers and universities represents a primary mechanism for achieving deep cross-organizational synergy in the development of industrial generic technologies. Establishing a scientific and equitable benefit-distribution mechanism is crucial for building efficient and sustainable collaborative partnerships between these heterogeneous entities. With manufacturers as the principal incentive provider, this study incorporates the heterogeneity of both parties and develops dynamic game-theoretic models under both decentralized and centralized decision-making modes to investigate the optimal profit-sharing mechanism and its underlying operational logic. The findings indicate that when both the manufacturer’s and the university’s efforts contribute to the outcome, profit sharing is essential regardless of the decision-making modes to incentivize cooperation. Moreover, the profit distribution coefficient is determined solely by each party’s relative contribution weight. In the presence of bilateral moral hazard, manufacturers attain higher profits under decentralized decision-making compared to the centralized mode, leading to a preference for decentralized schemes. Universities, conversely, exhibit the opposite preference. Nevertheless, the decentralized decision-making mode is found to maximize the overall benefits for industrial generic technology collaboration. Theoretically, this research extends the framework of cooperative innovation and benefit distribution into contexts involving heterogeneous actors and multiple decision-making regimes, offering a novel dynamic game-based perspective for cross-organizational collaborative governance. Practically, it provides actionable insights for mechanism design in manufacturer–university partnerships, contributing significantly to improving the efficiency and sustainability of such collaborations. Full article

Background and Objectives: Clinical ethical judgments are often elicited through scenario-based (vignette-based) dilemmas that guide interpretation, reasoning, and moral judgment. Despite its importance, little is known about how healthcare professionals and students respond to such scenario-based dilemmas in Eastern European settings. This study explored differences in ethical decision-making between senior medical/dental students and practicing clinicians in Romania, focusing on how scenarios-based dilemmas influence conditional versus categorical responses. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 244 participants (51 senior students; 193 practitioners). Respondents completed a validated 35-item questionnaire presenting hypothetical ethical scenarios across seven domains: informed consent, confidentiality, medical errors, public health duties, end-of-life decisions, professional boundaries, and crisis ethics. Each scenario used a Yes/No/It depends response structure. Group comparisons were analyzed using chi-square and non-parametric tests (α = 0.05). Results: Scenario-based dilemmas elicited frequent conditional reasoning, with “It depends” emerging as the most common response (47.8%). Strong consensus appeared in rejecting concealment of harmful errors and in treating unvaccinated families, reflecting robust professional norms. Divergences arose in areas where scenario-based dilemmas emphasized system-level duties: students more often supported annual influenza vaccination (52.9% vs. 32.6%, p = 0.028) and organ purchase authorization (76.47% vs. 62. 18%, p = 0.043), while practitioners more frequently endorsed higher insurance contributions for unhealthy lifestyles (48.7% vs. 23.5%, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Scenario-based dilemmas strongly shape moral decision-making in healthcare. While students tended toward principle-driven transparency, practitioners showed pragmatic orientations linked to experience and system stewardship. To promote high-quality clinical work and align decision-making with best practice and health policy, our findings support institutional protocols for transparent error disclosure, continuing professional development in ethical communication, the possible adoption of annual influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel as policy options rather than categorical imperatives, and structured triage frameworks during crisis situations. These proposals highlight how scenario-based ethics training can strengthen both individual reasoning and systemic resilience. Full article

Clinical models inform initial teacher education programs at several sites globally. Such models, and the term ‘clinical,’ along with related but not synonymous evidence-based forms of teaching, are advocated by some and criticised by others. Advocates emphasise an integration of evidence, theory, and research with contextualised clinical judgement that centres on students and teachers. Critics raise concerns over the privileging of ‘scientific’ or ‘medicalised’ ways of knowing that undermine teachers’ professional and moral judgement. This paper draws on focus group data exploring understandings of clinical judgement among 20 teacher educators in a well-established clinical teacher education course. Findings reveal that while there were tensions in the use of ‘clinical’, participants saw value in the language of clinical judgement in teaching. Clinical judgement positioned teaching as a profoundly intellectual activity in which the synthesis and evaluation of observations, research, context, and student learning evidence informed teacher decision making. Findings suggest that, when framed in this way, clinical judgement and clinical teaching models can enhance teachers’ professionalism and confidence in professional decisions. The perspectives of participants reveal an often-overlooked aspect of the clinical teaching debate—the experiences of teacher educators working within such a model. Full article

Blockchain technology has become a game changer in sectors like accounting and auditing. Its usage is still restricted due to a lack of insight into what drives people to adopt it for financial services like accounting and auditing. This research delves into the factors that influence the adoption of blockchain systems in accounting and auditing services by utilizing an enhanced edition of the Theory of Planned Behavior. In this study, alongside the previously established elements like Attitude, subjective norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control, self-perception and personal moral values are included to reflect how identity and ethics impact decision-making processes. Data were gathered via an online survey (N = 751) conducted on the Prolific platform, and the hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling. The hypotheses were examined through the Structural Equation Modeling method. The findings indicate that each of the five predictors plays a significant role in influencing Behavioral Intention, with personal moral values being the influential factor followed by subjective norm and Perceived Behavioral Control. Attitude plays an important role in shaping adoption choices and showcases the complexity involved in such decisions. As such, it is crucial to take into account ethical factors when encouraging the use of blockchain technology. This study adds to the existing knowledge of the Theory of Planned Behavior framework, offering insights for companies aiming to boost the implementation of blockchain systems in professional settings. Future research avenues and real-world implications are explored with an emphasis placed on developing targeted strategies that align technological adoption with personal values and organizational objectives. Full article