title: A Single Counterexample Leads to Moral Belief Revision.
abstract: What kind of evidence will lead people to revise their moral beliefs? Moral beliefs are often strongly held convictions, and existing research has shown that morality is rooted in emotion and socialization rather than deliberative reasoning. In addition, more general issues-such as confirmation bias-further impede coherent belief revision. Here, we explored a unique means for inducing belief revision. In two experiments, participants considered a moral dilemma in which an overwhelming majority of people judged that it was inappropriate to take action to maximize utility. Their judgments contradicted a utilitarian principle they otherwise strongly endorsed. Exposure to this scenario led participants to revise their belief in the utilitarian principle, and this revision persisted over several hours. This method provides a new avenue for inducing belief revision.
authors: Departments of Psychology and Philosophy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors: Zachary
authors: Z
authors: Horne
authors: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors: Derek
authors: D
authors: Powell
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Hummel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals
keywords: Belief revision; Confirmation bias; Moral conviction; Moral dilemmas; Morality