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14To propose a clear psychological definition of morality is no easy task, and Dahl (2023) is to be commended here for not only doing so, but leaving an explicit paper trail of traits deemed desirable for any such proposal. However, while a rationale for calling phenomena “moral” would be useful, is it really as vital for the conduct of research as Dahl presumes? We instead argue that the definition of the term “morality” is not always a task of scientific definition similar to defining “cell” or …Read more
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2The space between rationalism and sentimentalism: A perspective from moral developmentBehavioral and Brain Sciences 42. 2019.May interprets the prevalence of non-emotional moral intuitions as indicating support for rationalism. However, research in developmental psychology indicates that the mechanisms underlying these intuitions are not always rational in nature. Specifically, automatic intuitions can emerge passively, through processes such as evolutionary preparedness and enculturation. Although these intuitions are not always emotional, they are not clearly indicative of reason.
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15One strike and you’re a lout: Cherished values increase the stringency of moral character attributionsCognition 239 (C): 105570. 2023.
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18The Big ‘Whoops!’ in the Study of Intentional Behavior: An Appeal for a New Framework in Understanding Human ActionsJournal of Cognition and Culture 14 (1-2): 27-39. 2014.Distinguishing intentional behavior from accidental behavior is a crucial component of social cognition and a major developmental achievement. It has often been assumed that developmental changes in intentional reasoning result from a gradual sophistication in the ability to discern intentions in action. We take issue with this notion, demonstrating that data from cognitive, developmental, and social psychology are more consistent with the hypothesis that it is instead a gradual sophistication i…Read more
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8Developmental antecedents of cleansing effects: Evidence against domain-generalityBehavioral and Brain Sciences 44. 2021.Lee and Schwarz propose grounded procedures of separation as a domain-general mechanism underlying cleansing effects. One strong test of domain generality is to investigate the ontogenetic origins of a process. Here, we argue that the developmental evidence provides weak support for a domain-general grounded procedures account. Instead, it is likely that distinct separation procedures develop uniquely for different content domains.
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14Being in the KnowHuman Nature 32 (3): 603-621. 2021.Gossip is ubiquitous. Gossip allows important rules to be clarified and reinforced, and it allows individuals to keep track of their social networks while strengthening their bonds to the group. The purpose of this study is to decipher the nature of gossip and how it relates to friendship connections. To measure how gossip relates to friendship, participants from men’s and women’s collegiate competitive rowing teams noted their friendship connections and their tendencies to gossip about each of …Read more
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21Comment: Scholarly Disgust and Related MysteriesEmotion Review 6 (3): 222-223. 2014.Strohminger is revolted by McGinn’s book, The Meaning of Disgust. We argue that her reaction of repugnance highlights one of the greatest mysteries in the psychology of disgust: this emotion is at times elicited by abstract ideological concerns rather than physical threats of infection or contamination. Here we describe the theoretical challenge of accounting for nonpathogenic disgust elicitors, which include spiritual defilement, violations of the “natural order,” and, apparently, McGinn’s late…Read more
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22The morality of martyrdom and the stigma of suicideBehavioral and Brain Sciences 37 (4): 375-376. 2014.
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14Constrained Choice: Children's and Adults’ Attribution of Choice to a Humanoid RobotCognitive Science 45 (10). 2021.Young children, like adults, understand that human agents can flexibly choose different actions in different contexts, and they evaluate these agents based on such choices. However, little is known about children's tendencies to attribute the capacity to choose to robots, despite increased contact with robotic agents. In this paper, we compare 5‐ to 7‐year‐old children's and adults’ attributions of free choice to a robot and to a human child by using a series of tasks measuring agency attributio…Read more
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18Tree‐Huggers Versus Human‐Lovers: Anthropomorphism and Dehumanization Predict Valuing Nature Over OutgroupsCognitive Science 45 (4). 2021.Previous examinations of the scope of moral concern have focused on aggregate attributions of moral worth. However, because trade‐offs exist in valuing different kinds of entities, tabulating total amounts of moral expansiveness may conceal significant individual differences in the relative proportions of moral valuation ascribed to various entities. We hypothesized that some individuals (“tree‐huggers”) would ascribe greater moral worth to animals and ecosystems than to humans from marginalized…Read more
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25Breaking down biocentrism: two distinct forms of moral concern for natureFrontiers in Psychology 5 99989. 2014.
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26Tainting the soul: Purity concerns predict moral judgments of suicideCognition 130 (2): 217-226. 2014.
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12The moral, or the story? Changing children's distributive justice preferences through social communicationCognition 205 (C): 104441. 2020.
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32Aliens behaving badly: Children’s acquisition of novel purity-based moralsCognition 124 (3): 356-360. 2012.
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21Purity matters more than harm in moral judgments of suicide: Response to GrayCognition 133 (1): 332-334. 2014.
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50Hindering Harm and Preserving Purity: How Can Moral Psychology Save the Planet?Philosophy Compass 10 (2): 134-144. 2015.The issues of climate change and environmental degradation elicit diverse responses. This paper explores how an understanding of human moral psychology might be used to motivate conservation efforts. Moral concerns for the environment can relate to issues of harm or impurity . Aversions to harm are linked to concern for current or future generations, non-human animals, and anthropomorphized aspects of the environment. Concerns for purity are linked to viewing the environment as imbued with sacre…Read more