Abstract
Two components of lay observers' calculus of moral judgment are proximal intent (the actor's mind is focused on performing the action) and distal intent (the actor's mind is focused on the broader goal). What causes observers to prioritize one form of intent over the other? The authors observed whether construal level (Studies 1–2) and beliefs about free will (Studies 3–4) would influence participants' sensitivity to the actor's proximal vs. distal intent. In four studies, participants read scenarios in which the actor's proximal and distal intent were independently manipulated. In Study 1, when only distal intent was present in the actor's mind, participants rated the psychologically distant actor more responsible than the psychologically near actor. In Study 2, when only distal intent was in the actor's mind, participants with a chronic high level of action identification rated the actor more responsible than did those with a low level of action identification. In both studies, when only proximal intent was in the actor's mind, construal level did not predict judgments of responsibility. In Study 3, when only proximal intent was present in the actor's mind, the more participants believed in free will, the more they rated the actor responsible. When only distal intent was in the actor's mind, free will belief did not influence ratings of responsibility. In Study 4, the same pattern emerged when free will/determinism beliefs were manipulated and the actor performed a positive (life-saving) act. The authors discuss how these results shed new light on the literatures on moral reasoning and psycho-legal theory.
Highlights
The concept of intentionality holds a central position in both scholars’ and laypeople’s understanding of moral responsibility (Davidson, 1980; Searle, 1983; Bratman, 1987; Malle and Knobe, 1997)
To foreshadow the results, in Studies 1– 2 we report evidence that higher construal leads to more extreme moral judgment only when distal intent is more prominent in the actor’s mind than proximal intent
After reading one of the eight scenarios, participants provided ratings on four moral judgment items: “How much moral responsibility does Alex have for what happened to Linda?,” “How intentional was Alex’s action?,” “How much blame should go to Alex for what happened to Linda?,” “How negatively should Alex by judged?” We included a range of intentionality, blame, and punishment items to assess whether participants would exhibit any divergences between ascriptions of intentionality and punishment (e.g., Cushman et al, 2012)
Summary
The concept of intentionality holds a central position in both scholars’ and laypeople’s understanding of moral responsibility (Davidson, 1980; Searle, 1983; Bratman, 1987; Malle and Knobe, 1997). From the psychodynamic perspective, because desires lead inexorably to their corresponding actions, having the malevolent goal in mind is sufficient grounds for punishment Those primed with an article touting evidence that “people are capable of controlling even their deepest wishes and desires” were more focused on whether proximal intent was present or absent than whether distal intent was present or absent. Performing the act with awareness and control is sufficient grounds for punishment, even if the actor did not believe at the time that he was committing murder Such data provide initial evidence that the Proximal Intent/Distal Intent framework represents an effective tool for isolating different observers’ points of emphasis as they determine an actor’s level of responsibility. Speaking, the hypothesis was for two main effects (Distal Intent: present vs. absent; Proximal Intent: present vs. absent) and two two-way interactions (Distal Intent × Distance; Proximal Intent × Distance)
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