The Importance of Context in Moral Judgments

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science
Chelsea Schein

Abstract

There is a gap between morality as experienced and morality as studied. In our personal and professional lives, moral judgments are embedded within a specific context. We know the who, what, where, and when and often can infer the why; we know the broader context of actions; and we may have a specific relationship with the actors. However, scholarly theorizing is often built on inferences from participants' responses to decontextualized, impoverished stimuli. In our quest for uncovering general psychological truths, moral psychologists have examined evaluations of poorly guarded trolleys, strangers with odd sexual proclivities, and endorsement of abstract principles. The four articles included in this section demonstrate the power of contextualizing morality. In the current article, I place these papers within a broader framework for how scholars can contextualize morality research. I then argue why contextualizing morality matters: not only do contextualized questions better reflect the nuances of reality but also contextualized judgments might be key for improving predictions of moral behavior and understanding moral change.

References

Jul 25, 2006·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Nick Haslam
Jan 6, 2009·Psychological Science·Simone SchnallSophie Harvey
Apr 22, 2009·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Jesse GrahamBrian A Nosek
Jan 20, 2011·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Jesse GrahamPeter H Ditto
Sep 29, 2011·Social Neuroscience·Fiery Cushman, Joshua D Greene
Jun 29, 2014·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Jeremy A FrimerNicola K Schaefer
Aug 28, 2014·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Joshua Rottman, Deborah Kelemen
Sep 13, 2014·Science·Wilhelm HofmannLinda J Skitka
Jun 21, 2015·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Chelsea Schein, Kurt Gray
Jul 17, 2015·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Justin F Landy, Geoffrey P Goodwin
Aug 9, 2015·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Emma E BuchtelMichael Harris Bond
Oct 22, 2016·The Journal of Social Psychology·Ain SimpsonAlan Page Fiske
Jan 12, 2016·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Daniel CrimstonBrock Bastian
Apr 22, 2016·Emotion·Chelsea ScheinKurt Gray
May 25, 2016·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Sydney E ScottPaul Rozin
May 16, 2017·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Chelsea Schein, Kurt Gray
Jan 3, 2018·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Sarah J Ward, Laura A King
Aug 15, 2018·Cognition·Yochanan E Bigman, Kurt Gray
Nov 6, 2018·Journal of Experimental Social Psychology·Jim A C EverettMolly J Crockett
Jan 8, 2019·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Beyza Tepe, Arzu Aydinli-Karakulak
Jan 10, 2019·The Journal of Social Psychology·Michael J BernsteinRobert J Nutt
Aug 9, 2019·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Hanne M Watkins, Geoffrey P Goodwin
Sep 20, 2019·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Aaron C WeidmanEthan Kross
Sep 29, 2019·Nature Communications·Adam WaytzJesse Graham
Nov 14, 2019·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Bree Beal
Dec 27, 2019·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Edward B RoyzmanRobert F Leeman
Feb 1, 2020·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Hanne M Watkins
Feb 6, 2020·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Neil Hester, Kurt Gray

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 1, 2020·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Hanne M Watkins
Dec 16, 2020·Psychological Science·Matti WilksPaul Bloom
May 13, 2021·Nature Communications·Daniel A YudkinJordi Quoidbach
May 29, 2021·Cognitive Processing·Marko ĆurkovićAndro Košec
May 16, 2021·Consciousness and Cognition·Bree Beal, Guram Gogia
Oct 3, 2021·Nature Communications·Brian D EarpMolly J Crockett
Oct 5, 2021·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·H Clark Barrett, Rebecca R Saxe
Oct 6, 2021·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Chantal D'AmoreNamkje Koudenburg

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Theranos

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

The Hastings Center Report
C Bereiter
Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science
Jerome Kagan
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved