Free will beliefs predict attitudes toward unethical behavior and criminal punishment

DOI Web Site 2 Citations
  • Nathan D. Martin
    School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287;
  • Davide Rigoni
    Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium;
  • Kathleen D. Vohs
    Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Abstract

<jats:title>Significance</jats:title> <jats:p>Understanding the bases of moral judgment has been a longstanding goal of social science. Factors undergirding morality are argued to be both globally uniform and regionally variable. The current study found evidence of both. For residents of countries with low levels of corruption and transparent systems of governance, free will beliefs predicted greater support for harsh criminal punishment and an intolerance of unethical behavior. For residents of countries beset with corruption and obfuscation, free will beliefs predicted greater support for criminal punishment but were decoupled from judgments of unethical behavior. These findings confirm causal conclusions from experimental research about the influence of free will beliefs on moral judgments and demonstrate variation by sociopolitical context.</jats:p>

Journal

Citations (2)*help

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top