Rota G, Palumbo S, Lattanzi N, Manfrinati A, Sarlo M, Lotto L, Pietrini P, Rumiati R, Pellegrini S
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Via Savi 10, I-56126 Pisa, Italy - Email:
Arch Ital Biol. 2016 Jun 1;154(2-3):50-58. doi: 10.12871/00039829201622.
In recent years, a great deal of research has relied on hypothetical sacrificial dilemmas to investigate decision-making processes involved in pro-social utilitarian choices. Recent evidence, however, has suggested that moral sacrificial choices may actually reflect reduced harm aversion and antisocial dispositions rather than an utilitarian inclination. Here, we used moral dilemmas to confront healthy volunteers with controversial action choices. We measured impulsiveness and venturesomeness personality traits, which have been shown to influence harm aversion, to test their role in utilitarian action and evaluation of moral acceptability. The results of the present study show that, in males, venturesomeness drives engagement in actions and increases moral acceptability. In contrast, in females no effects of venturesomeness were observed on moral action and evaluation. Rather, in females empathetic concern and personal distress, elicited by the vicarious experience of the other's emotional states, exerted an inhibitory effect on action. Taken together, these findings indicate that the "harm aversion hypothesis" may contribute to explain utilitarian choices in males but not in females. In both genders, no association was observed between impulsiveness and moral action.
近年来，大量研究依赖于假设性的牺牲困境来探究亲社会功利主义选择中所涉及的决策过程。然而，最近的证据表明，道德牺牲选择实际上可能反映出伤害厌恶的降低和反社会倾向，而非功利主义倾向。在此，我们使用道德困境让健康志愿者面对有争议的行动选择。我们测量了已被证明会影响伤害厌恶的冲动性和冒险性人格特质，以测试它们在功利主义行动和道德可接受性评估中的作用。本研究结果表明，在男性中，冒险性促使人们参与行动并提高道德可接受性。相比之下，在女性中未观察到冒险性对道德行动和评估有影响。相反，在女性中，由对他人情绪状态的替代性体验所引发的同理心关注和个人痛苦对行动产生了抑制作用。综上所述，这些发现表明“伤害厌恶假说”可能有助于解释男性而非女性的功利主义选择。在男女两性中，均未观察到冲动性与道德行动之间存在关联。
