Wait, did I do that? Effects of previous decisions on moral decision‐making

Abstract

AbstractPrevious studies have investigated moral decision‐making by using moral dilemmas that involve a single decision. This article extends this paradigm, introducing two‐stage scenarios to examine how moral decision‐making is influenced by previous decisions in the same narrative—especially whether people tend to stay consistent or to reconsider within a morally challenging situation. It further compares decision‐making between two‐stage and one‐stage scenarios. In Study 1 (N = 239), participants read scenarios requiring two successive decisions of harming one person to spare multiple people (utilitarian action), or vice versa (deontological action), within the same narrative. Second decisions were mostly found to be consistent with first decisions. Remarkably, inconsistent responding (switching) was robustly observed in about 29% of cases. Study 2 (N = 63), using one‐stage scenarios, showed that having made a previous decision in the same narrative generally decreased utilitarian responding. Potential explanations for these phenomena are discussed. The present article concludes that prior choices within the same setting significantly influence decision‐making. It also reveals the potential of gaining new insights using multiple‐stage scenarios in moral decision‐making research.