Self–other moral bias: Evidence from implicit measures and the Word-Embedding Association Test. (December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Ming-Hui; Li, Pei-Wei; Rao, Li-Lin
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 183(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Subjects: Morality -- Self–other bias -- Implicit measures -- Word embedding -- Natural language; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111107
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Abstract: Self–other bias can engender disagreement, misunderstanding, and conflict in real-world interactions. Moral perspectives are powerful in shaping thoughts and behaviors. Whether there is a self–other moral bias is poorly understood. We leveraged the Implicit Association Test (Study 1), the evaluative priming task (Study 2), and the Word-Embedding Association Test (Study 3) to demonstrate the self–other moral bias. We found that 1) people held a significantly stronger association between self and deontology (other and utilitarianism) than other and deontology (self and utilitarianism); and 2) the association between the self and other words and the deontological and utilitarian words was further identified in large bodies of English-language text from the Internet. An awareness of the self–other moral bias may facilitate a better understanding of others' attitudes and behaviors. Highlights: We demonstrated the self–other moral bias. People associated deontology with self more strongly than other. People associated utilitarianism with other more strongly than self. The self–other moral bias was also reflected in natural language.