The cognitive and cultural foundations of moral behavior

Evolution and Human Behavior • Vol/Iss. 39 • Elsevier • • Published In • Pages: 490-501 •
By Pisor, Anne C., Apicella, Coren, Atkinson, Quentin D., Cohen, Emma, Henrich, Joseph, McElreath, Richard L., McNamara, Rita A., Norenzayan, Ara, Willard, Aiyan K., Xygalatas, Dimitris

Abstract

In this two-part study, researchers first collect data from 600 people from 8 different societies in an effort to examine the character of morality cross-culturally. In the second part, participants play a game to detect honesty and responses are related to conception of morality and religious beliefs. Researchers posit that there is a cooperative nature to conception of morality and that moral culture is related to impact upon one's social life, but that this conceptualization of morality only weakly predicts cooperative behavio. The religious beliefs are stronger predictors.
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: noah.rossen  anj.droe