(cache) MSc Psychology Survey NK

Thank you for participating! This survey is now closed!

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Our aim is to investigate the moral intuitions of the supporters of the idea of aiding the needy via cost-effective, targeted giving. This will be done via self-report questionnaires and several moral dilemmas.

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. Should you decide not to participate or should you change your mind mid-way through you are under no obligation to provide additional reasons for your decision. You may withdraw at any time.

No personal identifiers aside from minimal demographic information will be held or revealed alongside your answers at any stage of the study. Your responses will be used for a post-graduate final research project in psychology.

NB! In seven hours we have had over a hundred participants contributing to our study - a most welcome surprise! Unfortunately, since this study is self-funded we have by now run out of funds to make a donation on your behalf! If you like you can still complete the survey. Thank you very much!

Consent Form
Title of the Project: Moral Resilience and Contextuality among Effective Altruists
Name of Researcher: Kristi Uustalu

If you agree to participate in this study then please read the following statements and indicate your consent by clicking 'I accept'.

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* I have understood the purpose and the procedures of this study and know what to expect;
* I agree to participate in this study;
* I understand that my participation in this study is voluntary, and that I can withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason, without having to give a reason to the researcher;
* I understand that I may omit any questions that I would prefer not to answer;
* I understand that my participation in this project is for the purposes of research, and is in no way an evaluation of me as an individual;
* I understand that any information recorded during this study will be kept anonymous and will remain confidential, and that no information that identifies me will be made publicly available;
* I understand that I can contact the researcher for this project by e-mail to receive more information and/or a summary of the anonymised group results
- Y
  I accept
- N
  I don’t accept
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In the following you are asked to provide a few demographic details.

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Please tell us your age:

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Please indicate your chromosomal sex
* This question is not being used to represent your gender identity.
Choose as many as you like

A
Male

B
Female

C
Intersexed

D
Prefer not to say
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Please provide the length of the index finger of your right hand (in cm). Measure from tip to knuckle while flattening your hand (fingers side by side):

Online ruler: https://www.piliapp.com/actual-size/cm-ruler/

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Please provide the length of the ring finger of your right hand (in cm). Measure from tip to knuckle while flattening your hand (fingers side by side):

Online ruler: https://www.piliapp.com/actual-size/cm-ruler/

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Part 1

You will now be asked to indicate to what extent you agree with the following principles.

Please consider the questions as they pertain to you and you only, and answer truthfully.

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At times, it is necessary to allow the death, misfortune or misunderstanding of an innocent person in order to save or spare a larger number of innocent people.
Certain core principles, such as the principle of not manipulating or lying to innocent others, must be maintained even if in the end the net result is better.
'It is sometimes necessary to allow the death of a small number of innocents in order to promote a greater good.'
Is sacrificing Mary's general well-being in order to save the lives of 99 others justified?
Is sacrificing Tom's life in order to save the lives of 99 other people justified?
Is the sacrifice of Mary's or Tom's life to save the lives of other people moral or immoral?
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Thank you!

In the following, please indicate what do you think is the correct approach.

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It is acceptable to break the law for a good consequence when the risk of getting caught is very small.
Mercy killing a seriously wounded human is equally acceptable to killing a seriously wounded animal.
It is not morally obligatory to spend one's disposable income on the needs of others.
Eliminating poverty is more important than eliminating factory farming.
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As you might have guessed, we're interested in your moral intuitions.

Research on moral reasoning and moral intuitions circles around two predominant moral theories: utilitarianism and deontology.

Briefly, utilitarian moral theories prefer maximising aggregate welfare and judge moral actions based on their consequences, whereas deontological moral theories judge moral actions themselves and endorse keeping with a moral code.

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Researchers at the University of Oxford have recently confirmed that people who make utilitarian moral judgments are perceived by others as less trustworthy than people who make characteristically deontological ones.

Deontological decision makers are perceived as exhibiting 'respect for persons and commitment to social cooperation', hence being also preferred as social partners over utilitarian decision makers.

Furthermore, they found that if 'a consequentialist judgment was made with difficulty, negativity towards agents who made these judgments was reduced'.

Here for the results: http://argmin-gravitas.netlify.com/img/crockett_results.jpg

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Part 2

You will be presented with four scenarios. Please consider the scenarios briefly, put yourself in the shoes of the acting participant, and respond truthfully as to what you personally would consider to be the right thing to do.

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1. 'You are on a cruise ship when there is a fire on board, and the ship has to be abandoned. The lifeboats are carrying many more people than they were designed to carry. The lifeboat you're in is sitting dangerously low in the water - a few inches and it will sink.

The seas start to get rough, and the boat begins to fill with water. If nothing is done it will sink before rescue boats arrive and everyone on board will die. However, there is an injured person who will not survive in any case. If you throw that person overboard the boat will stay afloat and the remaining passengers will be saved.

Is it acceptable for you to throw this person overboard in order to save the lives of the remaining passengers?'
Y
Yes

N
No
2. 'You are the leader of a small group of soldiers. You are on your way back from a completed mission deep in the enemy territory when one of your men has stepped in a trap that has been set by the enemy and is badly injured. The trap is connected to a radio device that by now has alerted the enemy of your presence. They will soon be on their way.

If the enemy finds your injured man they will torture him and kill him. He begs you not to leave him behind, but if you try to take him with you your entire group will be captured. The only way to prevent the injured soldier from being tortured is to shoot him yourself.

Is it acceptable for you to shoot this soldier in order to prevent him from being tortured by the enemy?'
Y
Yes

N
No
3. 'A viral epidemic has spread across the globe killing millions of people. You have developed two substances in your home laboratory. You know that one of them is a vaccine, but you don't know which one. You also know the other one is deadly.

Once you figure out which substance is the vaccine you can use it to save millions of lives. You have with you two people who are under your care, and the only way to identify the vaccine is to inject each of these people with one of the two substances. One person will live, the other will die, and you will be able to start saving lives with you vaccine.

Is it acceptable for you to kill one of these people with a deadly injection in order to identify a vaccine that will save millions of lives?'
Y
Yes

N
No
4. 'A runaway trolley is heading down the tracks toward five workmen who will be killed if the trolley proceeds on its present course. You are on the footbridge over the tracks, in between the approaching trolley and the five footmen. Next to you on this footbridge is a stranger who happens to be very large.

The only way to save the lives of the five workmen is to push this stranger off the bridge and onto the tracks below where his large body will stop the trolley. The stranger will die if you do this, but the five workmen will be saved.

Is it acceptable for you to push the stranger on to the tracks in order to save the five workmen?'
Y
Yes

N
No
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Almost done.

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How would you rate your level of mental comfort while choosing between two difficult actions of high costs and benefits?
1 = Unbearably uncomfortable; 7 = No discomfort
Would you like for us to make a donation on your behalf to one of the following charities?
In thanks for participating in this study, a donation of $10 will be made on your behalf to one of the following charities:
- Against Malaria Foundation
- Machine Intelligence Research Institute
- Raising for Effective Giving

By clicking 'yes' you can choose between the given three.
Y
Yes

N
No
Which one of the charities would you like for us to make a donation to? Pick one.
Choose as many as you like

A
Against Malaria Foundation

B
Machine Intelligence Research Institute

C
Raising for Effective Giving

D
Any of the three
OK

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Would you self-identify as an effective altruist?
Choose as many as you like

A
Yes

B
No
OK

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Would you consider utility maximising, cost-effective giving a morally appealing principle to follow?
Choose as many as you like

A
Yes

B
No
OK

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Thank you for your time!

Should you have further questions about the project or should you like to receive a summary of the outcomes of the experiment, please feel free to contact Kristi Uustalu at 221728U@student.gla.ac.uk or Dr Kerry Kilborn at Kerry.Kilborn@glasgow.ac.uk

The referenced paper: Everett, Jim A. C., Pizarro, D., Crockett, M.J. 2016. 'Inference of trustworthiness from intuitive moral judgments'. In Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. June, 145(6): 772-87. doi: 10.1037/xge0000165

PS! Add your e-mail address here if you are interested in a debriefing and /or a receipt for your donation (around August):

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