How Cognitive Processes Affect Unethical Behavior: The Role of Decision Frame and Construal Level

Abstract

Many models of ethical decision-making have argued that unethical behavior is affected by decision frame. This paper further explores the link between decision frames and unethical behavior in three ways. First, Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that decision frame is related to unethical behavior, with Study 2 demonstrating the causal nature of the relationship. Furthermore, Studies 1 and 2 show that while an ethical frame is distinct from other frames, leading to less unethical behavior, a business frame is not distinct from general decision frames, both of which result in more unethical behavior. Together, this suggests that a business frame may be the default frame that individuals adopt when engaging in decision-making. Furthering this idea, in Study 2 the rationale behind each participant’s decision-making is content analyzed, showing that those in business and general decision frames consider similar issues when making decisions, but those in ethical frames consider issues entirely different from those in other frames. Finally, given that a business frame is the default frame for most individuals, we explore one way to mitigate the effects of a business frame on unethical behavior. By manipulating each participant’s construal level, in Studies 3 and 4 we find that a high construal level leads to less unethical behavior in a business frame, but has no effect on unethical behavior in an ethical frame. The implications of these findings are discussed and directions for future research are proposed.