Moral Contagion Attitudes towards Potential Organ Transplants in British and Japanese Adults

Hood, Bruce, M.; Gjersoe, Nathalia; Donnelly, Katherine; Byers, Alison and Itakura, Shoji (2011). Moral Contagion Attitudes towards Potential Organ Transplants in British and Japanese Adults. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 11(3) pp. 269–286.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/156853711X591251

Abstract

In two studies we investigated whether people evidence an effect of moral contamination with respect to hypothetical organ transplants. This was achieved by asking participants to make judgements after presenting either positive or negative background information about the donor. In the first study, positive/negative background information had a corresponding effect on three judgements with attitudes to a heart transplant most pronounced by negative background information relative to good information and controls. This effect was replicated in the second study with both heart and liver transplantation. Negative effects were stronger than positive effects in all conditions consistent with a negativity bias, but again stronger with regards to organs than controls. These results confirm findings from surveys that reveal real patients are concerned about moral contamination following organ transplantation and show that this bias in evident even in hypothetical, non-life-threatening scenarios. In a third study we found a significantly stronger moral contagion effect in Japanese relative to English participants, suggesting that concerns about moral contagion may be moderated by culture.

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About

  • Item ORO ID
  • 35140
  • Item Type
  • Journal Item
  • ISSN
  • 1568-5373
  • Project Funding Details
  • Funded Project NameProject IDFunding Body
    Not SetNot SetLeverhulme Trust, UK (Nos 20330150, 20220004)
    Not SetNot SetBial Foundation, Portugal
    Not SetNot SetGrant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan Society
    Not SetNot SetPerrott Warwick Fund, Trinity College, Cambridge
  • Academic Unit or School
  • Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
  • Research Group
  • Childhood and Youth
  • Copyright Holders
  • © 2011 Koninklijke Brill NV
  • Depositing User
  • Nathalia Gjersoe
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

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