The MAD Model of Moral Contagion: The Role of Motivation, Attention, and Design in the Spread of Moralized Content Online.

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science
William J BradyJay J Van Bavel

Abstract

With more than 3 billion users, online social networks represent an important venue for moral and political discourse and have been used to organize political revolutions, influence elections, and raise awareness of social issues. These examples rely on a common process to be effective: the ability to engage users and spread moralized content through online networks. Here, we review evidence that expressions of moral emotion play an important role in the spread of moralized content (a phenomenon we call moral contagion). Next, we propose a psychological model called the motivation, attention, and design (MAD) model to explain moral contagion. The MAD model posits that people have group-identity-based motivations to share moral-emotional content, that such content is especially likely to capture our attention, and that the design of social-media platforms amplifies our natural motivational and cognitive tendencies to spread such content. We review each component of the model (as well as interactions between components) and raise several novel, testable hypotheses that can spark progress on the scientific investigation of civic engagement and activism, political polarization, propaganda and disinformation, and other moralized beh...Continue Reading

References

Sep 1, 1991·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·F Pratto, O P John
Oct 1, 1994·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·P M NiedenthalI Gavanski
Feb 1, 1993·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·D A Prentice, D T Miller
Apr 4, 1998·Brain Research. Cognitive Brain Research·W Skrandies
Jul 14, 1999·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·T L Chartrand, J A Bargh
Aug 25, 1999·Journal of Orthopaedic Research : Official Publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society·M J SilvaW J Maloney
Mar 31, 2000·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·R M Klein
May 23, 2000·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·P E TetlockJ S Lerner
Aug 19, 2000·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·C L Hafer
Apr 24, 2001·Psychological Bulletin·M E McCulloughD B Larson
Jul 14, 2001·International Journal of Psychophysiology : Official Journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology·E BernatH Shevrin
Sep 15, 2001·Science·J D GreeneJ D Cohen
Dec 26, 2001·Annual Review of Psychology·Naomi EllemersBertjan Doosje
Jan 5, 2002·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·C Bell, E Sternberg
Dec 26, 2002·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Karl Aquino, Americus Reed
Apr 15, 2003·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Leda CosmidesRobert Kurzban
Jul 1, 1961·Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology·R D SINGER
Apr 1, 1952·Journal of Abnormal Psychology·L FESTINGERT NEWCOMB
Mar 31, 2004·NeuroImage·Stephanie OrtigueTheodor Landis
Jun 30, 2004·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Dominic Abrams, Michael A Hogg
Oct 12, 2004·Neuron·Joshua D GreeneJonathan D Cohen
May 5, 2005·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Adam K Anderson
Jun 29, 2005·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Linda J SkitkaEdward G Sargis
Apr 28, 2006·Emotion·Maarten MildersNiamh Donnellon
Sep 12, 2006·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Jessica L Tracy, Richard W Robins
Dec 26, 2006·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Susan T FiskePeter Glick
Apr 3, 2007·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Aarti IyerBrian Lickel
Jun 20, 2007·Psychological Science·Johanna KisslerMarkus Junghofer
Aug 29, 2007·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Eliot R SmithDiane M Mackie
Nov 7, 2007·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Kim Peters, Yoshihisa Kashima
Dec 28, 2007·Mechanisms of Ageing and Development·Sharon A Savage, Blanche P Alter
Jan 9, 2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Rupert BrownSabina Cehajic
Apr 29, 2008·Neuron·Keise IzumaNorihiro Sadato
Apr 29, 2008·Biological Psychology·Johanna KisslerMarkus Junghofer
Jun 11, 2008·Emotion·Sara B AlgoeShelly L Gable
Apr 22, 2009·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Jesse GrahamBrian A Nosek
Jul 2, 2009·Annual Review of Psychology·Ap Dijksterhuis, Henk Aarts
Dec 17, 2009·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Sana Sheikh, Ronnie Janoff-Bulman
Dec 31, 2009·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Aaron C KayKyle Nash
May 5, 2010·Psychological Review·Yaacov Trope, Nira Liberman

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Oct 22, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Yuan Chang LeongJamil Zaki
Feb 10, 2021·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Valerio Capraro, Matjaž Perc
Feb 7, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jay J Van BavelAnnie Duke
Mar 20, 2021·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Gordon Pennycook, David G Rand
May 8, 2021·The Journal of Social Psychology·Jonathan GordilsJeremy P Jamieson
Jun 23, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Joseph B Bak-ColemanElke U Weber
Jun 25, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Steve RathjeSander van der Linden
Jun 19, 2021·Integrative Medicine Research·Epaminondas La BellaFlavio Lirussi
Aug 15, 2021·Science Advances·William J BradyMolly J Crockett
Aug 26, 2021·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Jay J Van BavelAnni Sternisko

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

MeToo

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

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
William J BradyJay J Van Bavel
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
William J BradyJay J Van Bavel
Psychological Science
Andrew LuttrellRichard E Petty
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Suraiya Allidina, William A Cunningham
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved