Mapping the Moral Permit to Harm: The Moral Distinction Scale

Pilecki, A., Hammack, P.L., Bar-Tal, D., Halperin, E, Muro, J.M., Clemons, C.M. & Gibson, R.A.

What is it?
Preliminary Analysis Social Identity Theory
(Tajfel & Turner, 1986)

What is it good for?

Exploratory Factor Analysis (Summer 2012) DISLIKED group only Five Factor Model Moral Foundations Theory (Haidt, 2012) 1. Harm/Fairness 2. Liberty 5. Purity 3. Loyalty

Table 1 Denitions of Moral Foundations Moral Foundation Description Authority/ Respect Concerns related to obligations of hierarchical relationships. Fairness/Cheating Harm/ Care In-group/ Loyalty Purity/ Sanctity Liberty/Oppression Concerns about justice, proportionality and the law of karma. Concerns for the suffering of others, including virtues of caring and compassion. Concerns related to obligations of group membership. Concerns about physical and spiritual contagion. Concerns about political equality and oppression. Table 2 Pearson Correlations of Moral Distinction Scale Scores and Measured Variables (N = 999)
Personality

- Individuals strive to maintain positive social identity - Favorable intergroup comparisons = positive social identity

Moral Exclusion
(Opotow, 1990)

4. Authority = .91

Correlated with perception that harm is

Moral Distinction
perceived difference between a target group and most other people along a moral dimension

appropriate r = .73, p < .001

Emotions

Perception that particular groups exist outside ones moral community

High internal consistency

Right Wing Authoritarianism (Altemeyer, 1981) Social Dominance Orientation (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) Implicit Theory of Other Groups (Dweck, 2000) Fear Disgust Hatred Positive Affect Dehumanization (Bain et al., 2009; Haslam, 2006; Loughnan et al., 2009) Human Nature Uniquely Human Infrahumanization (Cortes et al., 2005; Cuddy et al., 2007; Demoulin et al., 2009; Demoulin et al., 2004) Primary Emotions Secondary Emotions Inclusion/Exclusion of Other Groups (Passini & Morselli, 2010) Psychological Essentialism (Demoulin et al., 2006; Haslam et al., 2000) Permit to Harm

.01 -.07* .04 -.49*** -.62*** -.53*** .64*** .75*** .76*** .13** .57*** .75*** -.13** .66***

Descriptions derived from Haidt (2012), Haidt, Graham and Joseph (2009) and Haidt and Joseph (2009)

How do we measure it?

Moral Dimension Moral Community

Intergroup Perception

For example... "They don't value the sanctity of life as much as other people" "They're more likely to cheat and lie compared to most people"

Factor Structure
Confirmatory factor analysis (Winter 2013) confirms five factor structure

*p < .05 ** p < .01 ***p < .001

Highly correlated with Moral Exclusion and attitudes towards violence

Permit to Harm
Moral Distinction Scale significant, unique predictor of attitudes towards intergroup harm

Table 3

Moral Foundations Theory

= .88

Hierarhical Linear Regression of Demographic, Personality, Emotion, Intergroup Perception, and Moral Distinction on Attitudes Towards Intergroup Violence (N = 999) Model Variables R 2 R 2 Change 1 Demographics (Sex, Political Orientation, SES) 2 + Personality .01 .04 .57 .58 .01 .03*** .54*** .01***

Method
Online Sampling
(see Graham et al., 2011; e.g., Inbar, Pizarro, Iyer, & Haidt, 2011)

= .61
(Haidt, 2012)

Procedure Participants asked to identify three groups from : one LIKED two DISLIKED Participants choose from list of polarizing groups or can provide their own: Atheists Feminists Muslims Tea Partiers Conservatives Liberals Neo-Nazis Evangelicals Mormons Socialists

3 + Intergroup Perception & Emotion 4 + Moral Distinction Scalea

Link to survey Moral Distinction Scale and other measures distributed via Facebook, Twitter, and online classieds Participants Two collection periods Summer 2012 (N = 525) Median Age = 30 years Females = 295; Males = 222 Conservative = 28.2%; Liberal = 48.5% Winter 2013 (N = 999) Median Age = 32 years Females = 367; Males = 617 Conservative = 27.5%; Liberal = 58.1%

= .81

= .16***

*p < .05 ** p < .01 ***p < .001

= .81

Implications
Research Support

Special Thanks
Elsamarie Corradetti Madeleine Morris, Content Manager Backpage.com Qualtrics Support Staff

= .79

Signicant and unique predictor of attitudes towards intergroup violence First intergroup measure based on Moral Foundations Theory Illustrates the different dimensions that groups are differentiated along a

Other _________ CFI = .89; RMSEA = .08; 2(94) = 509.62, p < .001

Participants randomly assigned to complete Moral Distinction Scale and other measures using LIKED or DISLIKED group as target

Project Funding: Planning Visit Grant, National Science Foundation Clara Mayo Grant, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Junior Faculty Research Grant, University of California, Santa Cruz

moral basis Useful for research interested in Moral Exclusion-based research