Pulling the lever in a hurry: the influence of impulsivity and sensitivity to reward on moral decision-making under time pressure.
BMC Psychol
; 12(1): 270, 2024 May 14.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38745341
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Making timely moral decisions can save a life. However, literature on how moral decisions are made under time pressure reports conflicting results. Moreover, it is unclear whether and how moral choices under time pressure may be influenced by personality traits like impulsivity and sensitivity to reward and punishment.METHODS:
To address these gaps, in this study we employed a moral dilemma task, manipulating decision time betweenparticipants:
one group (N = 25) was subjected to time pressure (TP), with 8 s maximum time for response (including the reading time), the other (N = 28) was left free to take all the time to respond (noTP). We measured type of choice (utilitarian vs. non-utilitarian), decision times, self-reported unpleasantness and arousal during decision-making, and participants' impulsivity and BIS-BAS sensitivity.RESULTS:
We found no group effect on the type of choice, suggesting that time pressure per se did not influence moral decisions. However, impulsivity affected the impact of time pressure, in that individuals with higher cognitive instability showed slower response times under no time constraint. In addition, higher sensitivity to reward predicted a higher proportion of utilitarian choices regardless of the time available for decision.CONCLUSIONS:
Results are discussed within the dual-process theory of moral judgement, revealing that the impact of time pressure on moral decision-making might be more complex and multifaceted than expected, potentially interacting with a specific facet of attentional impulsivity.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Recompensa
/
Toma de Decisiones
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Conducta Impulsiva
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Principios Morales
Límite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Psychol
/
BMC psychology
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia