Decision biases in the context of ethics: Initial scale development and validation

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to develop and validate the Biased Attitudes Scale (BiAS)—a self-report measure that assesses an individual's propensity to express three types of decision biases proposed to inhibit ethical decision making. In study one, exploratory factor analysis results supported a three-factor model of decision biases, including simplification, verification, and regulation biases. In study two, the three-factor model demonstrated adequate fit when subjected to cross-validation procedures using an independent sample. In addition, BiAS scores correlated with a battery of individual differences measures, as well as three unique types of ethical decision-making criteria. BiAS scores also demonstrated incremental validity in predicting ethical decision making after accounting for individual differences variables.