High and low conflict moral dilemmas resolution: comparing moral judgment from Spanish and Mexican samples

Abstract

Objective: Moral dilemmas resolution tasks are a common method to evaluate moral judgement processes. Cultural variables are known to influence these processes. However, performance from different populations has not been directly compared to systematically explore these possible influences. Method: We directly compared the resolution of high and low conflict moral dilemmas in students from two different countries, Spain and México. Each dilemma allowed four possible resolutions, distributed in a continuum from non-utilitarian responses to utilitarian responses: the proposed solution is definitely not acceptable (DNA), it is not acceptable (NA), it is acceptable (A), and it is definitely acceptable (DA). Results: Both samples tend to resolve the low conflict moral dilemmas by DNA (non-utilitarian) responses, with a significantly higher number of DNA responses in the Mexican group. Regarding high conflict moral dilemmas, the number of non-utilitarian responses (DNA and NA) was higher in the Mexican group, with a higher number of utilitarian responses (A) in the Spanish group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that cultural and social differences may influence moral judgements, particularly in relation to non-utilitarian responses in low and high moral conflicts and utilitarian resolutions of high conflict situations. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) General cultural variables are considered factors that can influence the utilitarian and non-utilitarian responses to moral dilemmas. (2) Moral judgements have been researched in homogeneous samples throughout different moral dilemmas resolution tasks that include high and low conflict moral dilemmas. (3) These tasks use dichotomous responses (agree or disagree) for the resolution of moral dilemmas, and evidence provided by these tasks on the effect of cultural variables on moral judgement is therefore limited. What this topic adds: (1) Direct comparisons between two different cultures using a no dichotomic moral judgement task that includes high and low conflict moral dilemmas and four possible resolutions in a continuum from non-utilitarian responses to utilitarian responses. (2) This grading in responses to moral dilemmas allowed to detect subtle differences in moral judgement that might have gone unnoticed previously. (3) This method revealed significant differences in the graduation of utilitarian and non-utilitarian responses, both in high and low moral conflict dilemmas, between two different cultures.

Keywords

• cultural influences
• moral dilemmas task
• moral judgement
• utilitarian responses