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The relational logic of moral inference

Crockett, Molly J. and Everett, Jim A.C. and Gill, Maureen and Siegel, Jenifer Z. (2021) The relational logic of moral inference. In: Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 64 . Elsevier, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 1-64. ISBN 978-0-12-824579-8. (doi:10.1016/bs.aesp.2021.04.001) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:89617)

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Abstract

How do we make inferences about the moral character of others? Here we review recent work on the cognitive mechanisms of moral inference and impression updating. We show that moral inference follows basic principles of Bayesian inference, but also departs from the standard Bayesian model in ways that may facilitate the maintenance of social relationships. Moral inference is not only sensitive to whether people make moral decisions, but also to features of decisions that reveal their suitability as a relational partner. Together these findings suggest that moral inference follows a relational logic: people form and update moral impressions in ways that are responsive to the demands of ongoing social relationships and particular social roles. We discuss implications of these findings for theories of moral cognition and identify new directions for research on human morality and person perception.

Item Type: Book section
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/bs.aesp.2021.04.001
Uncontrolled keywords: moral psychology; trust; character; impression formation; utilitarianism
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: Jim Everett
Date Deposited: 04 Aug 2021 09:33 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Aug 2021 13:32 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/89617 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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