Moral Intensity and its Effect on Neural Circuits in Social Contracti

Wasieleski, David M.; Hayibor, Sefa; Journal of Business Ethics, Vol 78(1-2), Mar, 2008. pp. 275-289. [Journal Article]

Johnathan Lou, Charlie Kittler, Tristan Sguigna

Breaking Rules: Examining the Facilitaton Effects of Moral Intensity Characteristics on the recognition of Rule ViolationsReports of Cheating Behavior on Social ContractsExecutives at companies like Tyco, Enron, Parmalat, and WorldCom violated social contractsViolation of rules constitutes an epidemic

This StudyExamines individuals ability to detect violators of a social contractFocuses on three components of moral intensity: magnitude of consequences, social consensus, and proximityPropose high level of moral intensity will lead to enhanced rule violator detection

Design and MethodWason selection task (social situation involving drinking age)320 undergraduate students, age ranged from 19 to 23 yearsthree moral intensity variables manipulated into a high and low conditionZ testResultsHypothesis 1, 2 and 3 were not supported Opposite direction occurred for 3rd

DiscussionPossible explanations:moral intensity characteristicsWason selection taskCulture (norms of drinking behavior)Concept of underage drinking (schema)

Issue contingent variables do not facilitate cheater detection to any significant degree ?

Critical ReviewMorality and ethics in biological and evolutionary termsConcept of moral intensity characteristicsInfluence of our "nature" and our "nurture" in forming our ethics and moral behaviorCultural values and age group differencesWason Selection Task