Theory Of Judgment Research Articles

Demystifying Schadenfreude: How disposition theorizing explains responses to social media stories of unvaccinated COVID-19 deaths

Herman Cain Awards are presented on reddit.com/r/hermancainaward to individuals who share COVID-19 misinformation on social media (SM) and subsequently die from the disease. We apply affective disposition theory’s moral judgment predictions regarding message and audience factors and Schadenfreude theorizing to explain reactions to similar SM posts. In an experiment with a large census-matched sample, participants viewed a series of SM posts similar to those on featured on reddit.com/r/hermancainaward . We manipulated two message factors: whether the poster was dogmatic or uncertain in their anti–COVID-19-vaccination stance and whether they expressed regret before they died. Dogmatic posting resulted in perceptions of the poster as more immoral and deserving of worse health outcomes, but regret mitigated these effects. Notably, political party and vaccination status, two audience factors, moderated these processes. Our findings demonstrate that SM posting is a morally relevant behavior and that narrative moral judgment theories seem capable of explaining reader’s responses.

Feeling warm or skeptical? An investigation into the effects of incentivized eWOM programs on customers’ eWOM sharing intentions

Marketing managers frequently provide incentives to customers to encourage electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) sharing. Yet, the literature remains unclear as to which forms of incentives are more effective than others. We conduct three experimental studies to investigate the effect of incentive type (economic vs. altruistic) on customers’ eWOM sharing intentions. Drawing on social judgment theory and attribution theory, in Study 1, we show that altruistic incentives generate higher eWOM sharing intention than economic incentives. We also reveal the mediating roles of customers’ perceptions of warmth and skepticism toward the company in the incentive type–eWOM sharing intention relationship. Studies 2 and 3 aim to identify the target customers of incentivized eWOM programs. In Study 2, we find that altruistic incentives are better provided to customers who are alone, as opposed to those with fellow customers. In Study 3, we find an interesting reverse effect of incentive type: altruistic incentives are less effective than economic incentives in producing eWOM sharing intention if customers have a weak tie with the company.

The relationship between theory of mind and children’s moral judgment: A scoping review

"Theory of mind is the ability that allows us to decipher human behavior by understanding the desires, beliefs, intentions, and motivations of others and our own. It also permits us to predict others’ behavior and model our own in order to act morally toward others. Moral judgment (the ability to appraise whether an intention or the outcome of an action is good or bad) involves mental state understanding, especially when detecting other’s intentions. Because the relationship between theory of mind and moral judgment in early and middle childhood is far from being clearly understood, we conducted a scoping review that allowed us to advance valuable avenues for future research. Of the 34 papers initially identified in five databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, and ResearchGate), 20 studies were eligible and analyzed concerning their main results and the assessments used for both theory of mind and moral judgment. Most studies reported a direct relationship (one study identifying even bidirectional links) between the two variables of interest. A discussion regarding the implications and future directions is put forward to advance research in children’s understanding of their worlds (internal and external) in a socio-moral way. Keywords: theory of mind, moral judgment, children, autism, scoping review "

Too real? The conflicting roles of adaptation and authenticity in intercultural service encounters

Purpose Intercultural service encounters (ICSEs) often require adaptation to the customer’s culture, thereby risking a reduction in the cultural authenticity of the experience. This study aims to research the optimum level of adaptation of an ICSE needed to achieve desired authenticity perceptions for positive consumer outcomes. The study also identifies the influence of generational cohorts and cultural competencies on developing such positive consumer outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The study uses two scenario-based experiments depicting low, moderate and high levels of adaptation to an ICSE. Findings Consumers prefer a cultural experience with a moderate level of adaptation to achieve the highest level of satisfaction and loyalty intentions. Perceived authenticity mediates the effect of adaptation on outcomes, with the generational stage (Study 1) and cultural competencies (Study 2) further influencing the relationship. Originality/value ICSEs and consumers’ desire for such cultural experiences are increasingly becoming a part of everyday consumption. Guided by social judgment theory, this study explores how two value-adding, yet conflicting tenants of successful ICSEs, cultural authenticity and adaptation, influence positive consumer outcomes.

Can Biases in Perceived Attitudes Explain Anti-Conformism?

In two studies about farming practices, the respondents who are particularly favorable to organic farming tend to have a higher intention to convert their farm to organic when they perceive other farmers as not very favorable to this practice. This intention can be considered as anticonformist, as it is in opposition to the general view of others. This article hypothesizes that this phenomenon can be explained by some biases on the perceptions of attitudes. It proposes an agent-based model which computes an intention based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and assumes some biases in the perception of others' attitudes according to the social judgment theory. It investigates the conditions on the model parameter values for which the simulations reproduce the features observed in the studies. The results show that perceptual biases are a possible explanation of anticonformist intentions.

Legal basis of restriction of constitutional human rights and freedoms in Ukraine

This article examines the issue of legal regulation of the restriction of constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens in Ukraine in various political and legal situations. A short excursion into the theory of judgment (discretion) is made, as well as into the theory of discretionary powers of public officials, various definitions of this term are given. Types of discretion are revealed, attention is focused on the need to observe the principles of objectivity and impartiality, equality before the law. It is noted that unfair discrimination is prohibited, and that a proper balance must be ensured, that is, proportionality between the purpose of the decision and its negative consequences for the rights, freedoms or interests of individuals. It is pointed out that the discretion is not arbitrary, it must always be exercised in accordance 
 with the law, must be accompanied by protective measures, including ongoing judicial control, which is emphasized by the Council of Europe. When exercising discretion, the process of observing its main principles, which regulate administrative acts in general and are specified in the relevant acts of the Council of Europe, becomes important. Examples are given when the application of the idea of discretionary powers of state authorities leads to the fact that in some situations it is not possible to actually protect one's rights even through court. In Ukrainian realities, discretionary powers began to be interpreted as any powers when a state authority makes one or another decision. In turn, Ukrainian courts, when considering disputes, sometimes prefer not to violate the powers of state authorities interpreted in this way. It is noted that the procedures for limiting the constitutional rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen have certain features in the exercise of discretion, that is, they are determined by the court or the law, which is provided for in Art. 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 47, 54 of the Constitution of Ukraine. The constitutional clause regarding the limitation of constitutional rights and freedoms in the conditions of martial law or state of emergency is disclosed.

A Modeling Framework to Examine Psychological Processes Underlying Ordinal Responses and Response Times of Psychometric Data.

This article presents a joint modeling framework of ordinal responses and response times (RTs) for the measurement of latent traits. We integrate cognitive theories of decision-making and confidence judgments with psychometric theories to model individual-level measurement processes. The model development starts with the sequential sampling framework which assumes that when an item is presented, a respondent accumulates noisy evidence over time to respond to the item. Several cognitive and psychometric theories are reviewed and integrated, leading us to three psychometric process models with different representations of the cognitive processes underlying the measurement. We provide simulation studies that examine parameter recovery and show the relationships between latent variables and data distributions. We further test the proposed models with empirical data measuring three traits related to motivation. The results show that all three models provide reasonably good descriptions of observed response proportions and RT distributions. Also, different traits favor different process models, which implies that psychological measurement processes may have heterogeneous structures across traits. Our process of model building and examination illustrates how cognitive theories can be incorporated into psychometric model development to shed light on the measurement process, which has had little attention in traditional psychometric models.

Factors influencing purchase intention of motor vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical study in South Africa

The study examined the factors influencing motor vehicle purchase intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Social Judgement Theory, and the Self-Congruency Theory were employed for the study. A quantitative research approach was applied, and data was collected using a questionnaire that 223 respondents completed and selected through convenience sampling. A structural equation model was used to test the proposed conceptual model of the study. The empirical results revealed that perceived value, perceived reliability, and brand awareness of the vehicle, together with the manufacturer’s and/or seller’s website quality, positively impact the consumer’s attitude, which subsequently affects their purchase intentions. The study has both practical and theoretical implications. The findings from the study could assist motor vehicle marketers in developing marketing strategies during a pandemic and provide policymakers with guidelines for the marketing of motor vehicles during a pandemic.

Corporate Purpose: A Social Judgement Perspective

We apply the lens of social judgement theory to understand the causes and consequences of the growing debate about the purpose of the corporation. Our historical analysis suggests that the debate about corporate purpose is not new and that it tends to arise during periods of growing economic inequality. Our analysis also suggests that the discursive shift from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism will trigger a new standard of social evaluation of corporations in which we no longer judge corporate behavior based on standards of legitimacy but rather on standards of authenticity. We explore what this change in social evaluation will mean for corporate competition. History: This paper has been accepted for the Strategy Science Special Issue on Corporate Purpose.

Historical Forms of Just War Theory in Europe and Hungary

Just war thinking features the history of warfare from the beginning up to the 20th century. Just war thinking, however, did not have one unique frame, but it appeared in many forms. The theory of judgement of God, the mission-related theory, the law enforcement theory, the revolutionary, and finally, the regular war theory were the important forms of historical just war thinking. This article presents these theories and classifies them with the help of the main concepts of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the principal concepts of justice.

Face masks negatively skew theory of mind judgements

Face masks obscure a significant portion of the face, reducing the amount of information available to gauge the mental states of others—that is, to exercise the Theory of Mind (ToM) capacity. In three experiments, we assessed the effect of face masks on ToM judgements, measuring recognition accuracy, perceived valence, and perceived arousal in various sets of facial expressions comprising 45 different mental states. Significant effects of face masks were found in all three variables. Judgements of all expressions are less accurate when masked, but, while judgements of negative expressions do not show consistent changes in valence or arousal, positive expressions are perceived to be less positive and less intense. In addition, we identified face muscles associated with changes in perceived valence and arousal, shedding light on the mechanisms through which masks impact ToM judgements, which might be relevant for mitigation strategies. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of the recent pandemic.

The effect of charity website design on perceived consistency and its consequences

PurposeDrawing upon the consistency literature, the theory of visual rhetoric and social judgment of warmth and competence, this study examines the determinants and impacts of perceived interface design consistency in the context of charity websites.Design/methodology/approachTo identify design factors of perceived interface design consistency, this study separates charity website interface design into two aspects: main appeal design (i.e. appeal quality) and peripheral design (i.e. image type). The authors designed a two (appeal quality: low vs high) × three (image type: control vs adults vs children) controlled lab experiment to investigate the effects of various interface choices. A total of 217 subjects participated in the experiment. The authors used structural equation model (SEM) analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThis study found that appeal quality and human images increase perceived interface design consistency. The authors also found that the relationship between appeal quality and perceived interface design consistency is moderated by image type. Finally, the authors showed that perceived interface design consistency increases perceived warmth and competence of charity websites, which in turn affect intention to use the website for donations.Originality/valueThe authors’ findings provide novel insights for theory on consistency and interface design and practical implications for charity website designers by identifying determinants and consequences of perceived interface design consistency.

Criteria preprocessing in multi‐actor multi‐criteria analysis

AbstractMulti‐actor multi‐criteria analysis is a group decision‐making framework that allows multiple stakeholder groups to be involved in the decision‐making process, facilitating the understanding of the points of consensus and conflict among the stakeholder groups. Carefully selecting suitable criteria is important as they illustrate the possibly divergent priorities of the respective stakeholder group, and overlooking important criteria can lead to erroneous outcomes. Furthermore, the number of criteria needs specific consideration, as a too large number poses problems for human cognition, but a too small number inaccurately represents the stakeholder's interest. In stakeholder groups with many members, such as those representing citizens, defining a criteria set is likely to be even more complicated. Currently, there is no formal guideline to assist facilitators in defining these criteria sets. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for criteria preprocessing with stakeholder involvement that includes a guideline for firstly selecting criteria into a tentative list and secondly selecting the final criteria set. It provides a procedure on how to determine criteria considering the priorities of stakeholder groups with regard to the context. As a final step, we propose a mathematical model for selecting a number of criteria that are both cognitively manageable and representative for the participants' priorities. Based on the principles of the Pareto analysis, as well as the cognitive judgment theory “magic number seven plus or minus two”, a recommendation list of the criteria is generated. It prevents key criteria from being omitted while at the same time limiting the overall number of criteria. This framework is applied to a social decision‐making case for construction logistics, and the results are compared with the conventional approach of criteria definition.

Obscure Judiciousness: Revising Reason and Judgment in Burke's Enquiry

Abstract: This essay argues for a reevaluation of the importance of reason and judgement in Edmund Burke's aesthetic theory outlined in the Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful (1759). Situating Burke's aesthetic theory alongside those of Anthony Ashley Cooper, third Earl of Shaftesbury; Francis Hutcheson; David Hume; and Immanuel Kant, it presents Burke's theory of judgement as a crucial component, one which attempts to hold together the descriptive and normative dimensions of the text. The main point of the analysis is to identify the emergence of a prominent legislative dimension to Burke's account of judgement in his revised "Introduction on Taste." This expanded role for reason and judgement complicates the apparent decoupling of reason and sensation that characterizes many of the Enquiry's most famous descriptions of aesthetic experience, demonstrating how the subsequent reincorporation of these experiences into social discursive practices requires a careful adjudication of where the respective limits of sense, imagination, and reason are to be located creating a far more complex philosophical dynamic within the text as a whole. In tracing the emergence of this rationally legislative dimension in the revised account of taste, this interpretation seeks to highlight several significant philosophical parallels between Burke and Kant's aesthetic philosophies, something which is often overlooked by the two being set in an overly contrastive intellectual relationship.

How Does Persuasion Happen? A Novel Bounded Confidence Opinion Dynamics Model Based on Social Judgment Theory

Persuasion exists in every aspect of social life. It is important to understand how persuasion works and how strong it is. In this article, we improve the classic Hegselmann–Krause model, one of the most famous bounded confidence models, and propose a novel opinion dynamics model to explain the process by which persuasion occurs from a systematic perspective. In our model, the concepts of latitudes of acceptance, noncommitment, and rejection from social judgment theory and the cognitive error in the process of persuasion, namely assimilation, are introduced. When people are exchanging their opinions with their neighbors, the opinions in the latitude of acceptance will be assimilated, those in the latitude of noncommitment will keep unchanged, and those in the latitude of rejection will not be considered. Theoretical proofs show that our model will converge to a stable state in a finite time. Numerical results of extensive simulation experiments on four datasets show the performance of the model. Furthermore, real social platform data and global COVID-19 vaccination data are analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the model in the decision-making process.

Kant's dynamic metaphysics: kant's theory of judgment and the nature of the theoretical knowledge of consistency in empirical reasoning

Kant's theory of judgment involves his answer to the question "How is knowledge of the pattern underlying intentional strategies of objective - true and justified - representation of empirical events possible?" When we problematize this question, the problem of the scope of our notion of consistency in empirical reasoning emerges. We will argue in this article that Kant's theory includes a thesis about the circular nature of our patterns of consistency, based on the ability to protect the conceptual presuppositions that harmonize knowledge of truth as opposed to falsity in any paradigm of theoretical reflection. This thesis allows Kant to develop a foundationalism about the knowledge of the content of judgments (the ability to recognize conceptual correctness or rule consistency) without committing to a static and transcendent view of the ideal object of our assertion strategies. In our view, this view is still one of the most competitive in describing the necessary - though not static - status of the propositions of empirical science.

Defense of a Libertarian Interpretation of Descartes' Account of Judgment1

AbstractWidespread scholarly agreement has it that Descartes' theory of judgment favors a compatibilist interpretation. This essay explains and rebuts the standard arguments made on behalf of compatibilist readings, while explaining and defending a libertarian interpretation. Along with relevant Fourth Meditation doctrines and texts, my analysis encompasses a much discussed 1645 letter discussing his account. Although some scholars view the letter as departing from the account of the Meditations, I argue that the two works present a consistent view – allowing us to take at face value that the letter purports to elaborate Descartes' intended meaning in the associated Fourth Meditation passage.

Comparing Probabilistic Accounts of Probability Judgments

Bayesian theories of cognitive science hold that cognition is fundamentally probabilistic, but people’s explicit probability judgments often violate the laws of probability. Two recent proposals, the “Probability Theory plus Noise” (PT+N; Costello and Watts Psychological Review, 121, 463–480, 2014) and “Bayesian Sampler” (Zhu et al. Psychological Review, 127, 719–748, 2020) theories of probability judgments, both seek to account for these biases while maintaining that mental credences are fundamentally probabilistic. These models differ in their averaged predictions about people’s conditional probability judgments and in their distributional predictions about their overall patterns of judgments. In particular, the Bayesian Sampler’s Bayesian adjustment process predicts a truncated range of responses as well as a correlation between the average degree of bias and variability trial-to-trial. However, exploring these distributional predictions with participants’ raw responses requires a careful treatment of rounding errors and exogenous response processes. Here, I cast these theories into a Bayesian data analysis framework that supports the treatment of these issues along with principled model comparison using information criteria. Comparing the fits of both models on data collected by (Zhu et al. Psychological Review, 127(5), 719–748 2020), I find these data are best explained by an account of biases based on “noise” in the sample-reading process but in which conditional probability judgments are produced by a process of conditioning in the mental model of the events, rather than in a two-stage mental sampling process as proposed by the PT+N model.

Understanding dynamics of polarization via multiagent social simulation

It is widely recognized that the Web contributes to user polarization, and such polarization affects not just politics but also peoples’ stances about public health, such as vaccination. Understanding polarization in social networks is challenging because it depends not only on user attitudes but also their interactions and exposure to information. We adopt Social Judgment Theory to operationalize attitude shift and model user behavior based on empirical evidence from past studies. We design a social simulation to analyze how content sharing affects user satisfaction and polarization in a social network. We investigate the influence of varying tolerance in users and selectively exposing users to congenial views. We find that (1) higher user tolerance slows down polarization and leads to lower user satisfaction; (2) higher selective exposure leads to higher polarization and lower user reach; and (3) both higher tolerance and higher selective exposure lead to a more homophilic social network.

Just wrong? Or just WEIRD? Investigating the prevalence of moral dumbfounding in non-Western samples

Moral dumbfounding occurs when people maintain a moral judgment even though they cannot provide a reason for this judgment. Dumbfounded responding may include admitting to not having reasons, or the use of unsupported declarations (“It’s just wrong”) as justification for a judgment. Published evidence for dumbfounding has drawn exclusively on samples of WEIRD backgrounds (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic), and it remains unclear to what extent the phenomenon is generalizable to other populations. Furthermore, the theoretical implications of moral dumbfounding have been disputed in recent years. In three studies we apply a standardized moral dumbfounding task, and show evidence for moral dumbfounding in a Chinese sample (Study 1, N = 165), an Indian sample (Study 2, N = 181), and a mixed sample primarily (but not exclusively) from North Africa and the Middle East (MENA region, Study 3, N = 264). These findings are consistent with a categorization theories of moral judgment.