Zikos Laurent, Degraeve Béatrice, Pinti Antonio, Poupart Julien, Norberciak Laurène, Kwiatkowski Arnaud, Donze Cécile, Lenne Bruno
Experience, Transhumanism, Human Interactions, Care & Society (ETHICS - EA7446), Lille Catholic University, Lille, France.
Laboratoire Science de l'Information-Communication (LSC/DeVisu), Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, Valenciennes, France.
Front Psychol. 2024 Jul 18;15:1404876. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1404876. eCollection 2024.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by a broad and unpredictable range of symptoms, including cognitive and sociocognitive dysfunction. Among these social-cognitive functions, moral judgment has been explored in persons with MS (PwMS) using moral dilemmas, where participants must decide whether to sacrifice one person to save a greater number. Opting for such a sacrifice reflects utilitarian reasoning (sacrificing one for the benefit of many is deemed acceptable), while refusing reflects deontological reasoning (such sacrifice is considered morally wrong). Compared to controls, PwMS have been shown to make greater deontological moral choices in such dilemmas.
While PwMS have demonstrated a higher tendency for deontological moral choices in moral dilemmas compared to controls, the underlying determinants of this reasoning pattern remain unclear. In this project, we aim to investigate cognitive, emotional, and motivational factors that may explain deontological decision-making in MS.
We will recruit a sample of 45 PwMS and 45 controls aged 18-55 years. The type of response, deontological or utilitarian, to a series of 20 vignettes of moral dilemmas will constitute the primary outcomes. Global cognitive performance, positivity bias, alexithymia and empathy levels as well as emotional reactivity measured by electrodermal activity (EDA) during moral dilemmas will be secondary outcomes.
Ethics approval was granted by a national ethical committee (CPP Ouest III, national number 2023-A00447-38). The project is sponsored by the ARSEP Foundation. Findings will be presented at national and international conferences, as well as published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种中枢神经系统的慢性炎症性和神经退行性疾病，其症状广泛且不可预测，包括认知和社会认知功能障碍。在这些社会认知功能中，已通过道德困境对MS患者（PwMS）的道德判断进行了研究，参与者必须决定是否牺牲一人以拯救更多人。选择这种牺牲反映了功利主义推理（为了多数人的利益而牺牲一人被认为是可以接受的），而拒绝则反映了道义论推理（这种牺牲被认为在道德上是错误的）。与对照组相比，PwMS在这种困境中表现出更多的道义论道德选择。
虽然与对照组相比，PwMS在道德困境中表现出更高的道义论道德选择倾向，但这种推理模式的潜在决定因素仍不清楚。在本项目中，我们旨在研究可能解释MS中道义论决策的认知、情感和动机因素。
我们将招募45名年龄在18 - 55岁之间的PwMS患者和45名对照组。对一系列20个道德困境 vignettes 的反应类型，即道义论或功利主义反应，将构成主要结果。全球认知表现、积极偏见、述情障碍和共情水平，以及在道德困境中通过皮肤电活动（EDA）测量的情绪反应性将作为次要结果。
该研究获得了国家伦理委员会（CPP Ouest III，国家编号2023 - A00447 - 38）的伦理批准。该项目由ARSEP基金会赞助。研究结果将在国内和国际会议上展示，并发表在同行评审的科学期刊上。
