From CUNY: Sound morality: Irritating and icky noises amplify judgments in divergent moral domains

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23318349

Cognition. 2013 Jan 11;127(1):1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.11.004. [Epub ahead of print]

Sound morality: Irritating and icky noises amplify judgments in divergent moral domains.

Seidel A, Prinz J.

Source

The Graduate Center, City University of New York, United States; Brooklyn College, City University of New York, United States. Electronic address: aseidel@gc.cuny.edu.

Abstract

Theoretical models and correlational research suggest that anger and disgust play different roles in moral judgment. Anger is theorized to underlie reactions to crimes against persons, such as battery and unfairness, and disgust is theorized to underlie reactions to crimes against nature, such as sexual transgressions and cannibalism. To date, however, it has not been shown that induction of these two emotions has divergent effects. In this experiment we show divergent effects of anger and disgust. We use sounds to elicit anger and disgust, and participants are then asked to consider moral vignettes. As compared to disgust and control condition, anger increases severity of judgments about crimes against persons, and disgust increases severity of judgments about crimes against nature, but not conversely.