When a virtue is not a virtue:conditional virtues in moral evaluation

Piazza, Jared and Goodwin, Geoffrey and Rozin, Paul and Royzman, Edward (2014) When a virtue is not a virtue:conditional virtues in moral evaluation. Social Cognition, 32 (6). pp. 528-558. ISSN 0278-016X

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Four studies show that people distinguish between two sorts of moral virtues: core goodness traits that unconditionally enhance the morality of any agent, and value commitment traits that are conditionally good (i.e., that polarize the morality of good and bad agents). Study 1 revealed that commitment traits (e.g., dedicated) amplify the badness of a bad agent (terrorist), whereas core goodness traits (e.g., kind) amplify the goodness of the bad agent. Study 2 replicated these results while also showing that both commitment and core goodness traits enhance the perceived goodness of neutral and good agents. Studies 2–4 established that commitment traits polarize moral evaluations by signaling agents’ commitment to certain values, rather than their agency or effectiveness in pursuing those values. These results extend current understanding of the perceived structure of moral character.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Social Cognition
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3200/3204
Subjects:
?? SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGYDEVELOPMENTAL AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY ??
ID Code:
71204
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
10 Oct 2014 15:57
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
19 Sep 2023 01:18