The moral foundations hypothesis does not replicate well in Black samples.

Abstract

The current study examined the generalizability of the moral foundations hypothesis (Graham, Haidt, & Nosek, 2009), which predicts that conservatism will be positively related to the binding foundations (i.e., virtues of ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity). Religiosity has been consistently linked with the binding foundations in predominately White samples, but Black people in the United States are both more religious and more liberal than White people. In a sample of college students (N = 693; 58.3% Black, 41.7% White), examination of measurement invariance suggested metric, but not scalar invariance. The relationship between conservatism and the binding foundations-specifically, respect/authority and purity/sanctity-was weaker in Black people than in White people. These results were replicated in a second sample (N = 490; 63.5% Black, 36.5% White) using a 4-item measure of conservatism rather than a single item. Once again examination of measurement invariance suggested metric but not scalar invariance, and conservatism was more weakly related to the binding foundations in Black people than it was in White people. Implications for future theory and research are discussed.