title: Will I Regret It? Anticipated Negative Emotions Modulate Choices in Moral Dilemmas.
abstract: We tested if post-decisional emotions of regret, guilt, shame, anger, and disgust can account for individuals' choices in moral dilemmas depicting the choice of letting some people die (non-utilitarian option) or sacrificing one person to save them (utilitarian option). We collected participants' choices and post-decisional emotional ratings for each option using Footbridge-type dilemmas, in which the sacrifice of one person is the means to save more people, and Trolley-type dilemmas, in which the sacrifice is only a side effect. Moreover, we computed the EEG Readiness Potential to test if the neural activity related to the last phase of decision-making was related to the emotional conflict. Participants reported generally stronger emotions for the utilitarian as compared to the non-utilitarian options, with the exception of anger and regret, which in Trolley-type dilemmas were stronger for the non-utilitarian option. Moreover, participants tended to choose the option that minimized the intensity of negative emotions, irrespective of dilemma type. No significant relationship between emotions and the amplitude of the Readiness Potential emerged. It is possible that anticipated post-decisional emotions play a role in earlier stages of decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pletti
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of PadovaPadova, Italy; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of PadovaPadova, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorella
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lotto
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Studies, University of Ferrara Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tasso
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of PadovaPadova, Italy; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of PadovaPadova, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarlo
keywords: decision-making; emotion; moral dilemma; readiness potential