Explaining Judgements on Rule Violations: On Empathy, Moral Intuitions, and Emotions

84 Pages·2022·2.857 MB·English

by  Ann de Buck, Lieven J. R. Pauwels

SpringerBriefs in Criminology
Ann de Buck · Lieven J. R. Pauwels
Explaining Judgments
on Rule Violations
On Empathy, Moral
Intuitions, and Emotions
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Ann de Buck • Lieven J. R. Pauwels
Explaining Judgments
on Rule Violations
On Empathy, Moral Intuitions, and Emotions
Ann de Buck Lieven J. R. Pauwels
Faculty of Law and Criminology Faculty of Law and Criminology
Ghent University Ghent University
Ghent, Belgium Ghent, Belgium
ISSN 2192-8533 ISSN 2192-8541 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs in Criminology
ISBN 978-3-031-13868-3 ISBN 978-3-031-13866-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13866-9
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Contents
1 Introduction and Aim of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Aim of the Present Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 An Evolutionary-Inspired Integrated Model: From Empathy
to Moral Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Moral Judgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
An Evolutionary-Inspired Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Four Distinct Moral Violations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Theft by Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Breaking a Fairness Rule (Breaking a Promise) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Punishing a Free Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Consensual Adult Sibling Incest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Distal and Proximal Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Distal Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Proximal Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Integrated Model of Moral Antecedents to Moral Judgment . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Relationships Between Empathy and Moral Intuitions . . . . . . . . . 28
The Relationships Between Moral Intuitions, Moral Emotion,
and Moral Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3 Data and Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Written Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Imagine the Following . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Diagrams of the Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Measures of the Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Distal Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Proximal Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
v
vi Contents
Endogenous Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Analytic Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Measurement Part of the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Confirmatory Factor Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Structural Part of the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Structural Part of the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Scenario 1: Theft by Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Scenario 2: Breaking a Promise (Breaking a Fairness Rule) . . . . . . . . 54
Scenario 3: Punishing a Free Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Scenario 4: Consensual Adult Sibling Incest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Summary of the Major Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
5 Discussion and Future Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Strengths, Limitations, and Future Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
List of Figures
Fig. 2.1 Testable evolutionary-inspired conceptual model
of moral antecedents to moral judgment as related
to distinct moral violations........................................................... 28
Fig. 3.1 Diagram of the relationships in the “theft by taking”
scenario. (Figure adapted from DeScioli
and Kurzban (2009, p. 284)) ........................................................ 39
Fig. 3.2 Diagram of the relationships in the “breaking a promise”
scenario. (Figure adapted from DeScioli
and Kurzban (2009, p. 284)) ........................................................ 40
Fig. 3.3 Diagram of the relationships in the “punishment
of a free rider” scenario. (Figure adapted from DeScioli
and Kurzban (2009, p. 284)) ........................................................ 41
Fig. 3.4 Diagram of the relationship in the “consensual adult
sibling incest” scenario. (Figure adapted from DeScioli
and Kurzban (2009, p. 284)) ........................................................ 42
Fig. 3.5 Measurement part of the model with four latent variables 46
Fig. 3.6 Measurement model combining the empathy variables
and moral intuitions variables (N = 1497) ................................... 47
Fig. 3.7 Final and most parsimonious measurement
model combining the empathy variables and moral
intuitions variables (N = 1497) .................................................... 48
Fig. 3.8 Path diagram with four latent variables and manifest variables.
(State variables and outcome) ...................................................... 49
Fig. 4.1 Testable evolutionary-inspired conceptual model
of moral antecedents to moral judgment in the context
of four behavioral strategies including (1) theft by taking,
(2) breaking a promise, (3) punishing a free rider,
and (4) engaging in consensual adult sibling incest ..................... 52
vii
viii List of Figures
Fig. 4.2 Structural paths among the study variables in the structural
equation model involving empathic concern, perspective-taking,
individualizing and groupish moral intuitions,
anticipated guilt, moral anger, and moral judgment
related to the theft by taking scenario .......................................... 52
Fig. 4.3 Structural paths among the study variables in the structural
equation model involving empathic concern, perspective-taking,
individualizing and groupish moral intuitions, anticipated guilt,
moral anger, and moral judgment related to the
“breaking a promise scenario” ..................................................... 53
Fig. 4.4 Structural paths among the study variables in the structural
equation model involving empathic concern, perspective-taking,
individualizing and groupish moral intuitions, anticipated guilt,
moral anger, and moral judgment related to the
“punishing a free rider scenario” ................................................. 55
Fig. 4.5 Structural paths among the study variables in the structural
equation model involving empathic concern, perspective-taking,
individualizing and groupish moral intuitions, anticipated guilt,
moral disgust, and moral judgment related
to the consensual adult sibling incest scenario ............................ 57
List of Tables
Table 2.1 Overview of Moral Foundations Theory’s current
theorizing on the origin and nature of the individualizing
moral intuitions of morality ...............................................................21
Table 2.2 Overview of Moral Foundations Theory’s current
theorizing on the origin and nature of the groupish
moral intuitions of morality ...............................................................22
Table A1 Description of the sample ...................................................................67
Table A2 Description of the four scenarios ........................................................68
Table A3 Wording of the items, factor loadings (Lambda),
and reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) ...................................69
Table A4 Scenario 1 (likelihood of theft): Descriptive statistics
including intercorrelations of study variables (N = 1497) ..................73
Table A5 Scenario 2 (breaking a promise): Descriptive statistics
including intercorrelations of study variables (N = 1497) ..................73
Table A6 Scenario 3 (punishing a free rider): Descriptive statistics
including intercorrelations of study variables (N = 1497) ..................74
Table A7 Scenario 4 (likelihood of incest): Descriptive statistics
including intercorrelations of study variables (N = 1497) ..................74
Table A8 Hierarchical generalized linear models using robust
estimator (ML), predicting moral judgment (theft scenario)
(N = 1496) ..........................................................................................75
Table A9 Hierarchical generalized linear models using
robust estimator (ML), predicting moral judgment
(breaking a promise scenario) (N = 1496) ..........................................75
Table A10 Hierarchical generalized linear models, using robust
estimator (ML), predicting moral judgment
(punishing a free rider scenario) (N = 1496) ......................................76
Table A11 Hierarchical generalized linear models, using robust
estimator (ML), predicting moral judgment
(consensual adult sibling incest) (N = 1496) ......................................76
ix