Pressure and ethical decision-making

Abstract

Performance pressure degrades performance on many types of tasks. Mounting evidence, however, suggests that pressure may not affect ethical decision-making. For the present study, participants analysed an ethical dilemma using a cognitive tool (ACED IT), expressive writing, or a control task, and their decisions were compared for participants in high and low pressure conditions. Perceptions of moral intensity were also measured. The current project found that the ACED IT map appears to be an effective cognitive tool for aiding ethical decision-making. The ACED IT group performed better on ethical decision-making (EDM) indices than did participants in the other groups. Pressure did not have an impact with regard to the cognitive processes involved in EDM. Pressure did, however, have a significant effect on perceptions of the problem. Implications of this pattern of results are discussed. It is important to determine whether pressure impacts EDM, so that training interventions can address pressure effectively. The present study suggests that, while pressure may not have an impact on ethical decision-making, pressure does seem to impact perceptions regarding ethical decision-making.