Department of Experimental Psychology, Regensburg University, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
Cognition. 2013 Mar;126(3):373-7. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.11.003. Epub 2012 Dec 29.
People's moods can influence moral judgment. Such influences may arise because moods affect moral emotion, or because moods affect moral thought. The present study provides evidence that, at least in the footbridge dilemma, moods affect moral thought. The results of two experiments are reported in which, after induction of positive, negative, or neutral moods and presentation of the footbridge scenario, participants were asked one of two differentially framed closing questions. In the active frame, participants were asked whether they would be active and push the man, making thoughts about pushing accessible; in the passive frame, they were asked whether they would be passive and not push the man, making thoughts about not pushing accessible. The results show that affective influences on moral judgment depended on participants' decision frame. Compared to neutral moods, positive moods induced utilitarian responding - i.e., deciding to push - in the active decision frame, but induced nonutilitarian responding - i.e., deciding to not push - in the passive decision frame; in negative moods, exactly the opposite picture arose. The results suggest that people's moods affect moral judgment by conferring value on moral thought. Positive moods promote and negative moods inhibit accessible thoughts.
人们的情绪会影响道德判断。这种影响可能是因为情绪影响道德情感，也可能是因为情绪影响道德思维。本研究提供了证据表明，至少在天桥困境中，情绪会影响道德思维。本文报告了两项实验的结果，在这两项实验中，参与者在积极、消极或中性情绪的诱导下，并呈现了天桥场景后，被问到两个不同框架的封闭问题中的一个。在主动框架中，参与者被问到是否会主动推人，从而使推人的想法变得容易；在被动框架中，他们被问到是否会被动地不推人，从而使不推人的想法变得容易。结果表明，情感对道德判断的影响取决于参与者的决策框架。与中性情绪相比，积极情绪在主动决策框架中引起功利主义反应——即决定推人——但在被动决策框架中引起非功利主义反应——即决定不推人；在消极情绪中，正好出现了相反的情况。结果表明，人们的情绪通过赋予道德思维价值来影响道德判断。积极的情绪会促进，消极的情绪会抑制可及的想法。
