The attribution cube and moral evaluations

Authors

Donelson R. Forsyth, University of RichmondFollow
William R. Pope

DOI

10.3758/BF03329970

Abstract

An attribution-based theory of moral evaluations was investigated by systematically varying the distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus of actions that conflicted with or conformed to one of four moral norms (telling the truth, doing one’s duty, not stealing, and keeping promises). Analyses of subjects’ moral judgments indicated that (1) moral character is assumed to be a prime cause of behaviors that are low in distinctiveness and high in consistency, (2) actions that are high in distinctiveness and low in consistency are less likely to be attributed to the actor’s moral character, and (3) consensus information has a lesser impact on moral judgments.

Document Type

Restricted Article: Campus only access

Publication Date

10-24-2013

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2013, Springer Nature.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329970

The definitive version is available at:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03329970

Recommended Citation

Forsyth, D.R., Pope, W.R. The attribution cube and moral evaluations. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 21, 117–118 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329970