See something, say something? exploring the gap between real and imagined moral courage

Research shows that people often do not intervene to stop immoral action from happening. However, limited information is available on why people fail to intervene. Two preregistered studies (Ns = 248, 131) explored this gap in the literature by staging a theft in front of participants and immediatel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethics & behavior 2023-08, Vol.33 (6), p.529-550
Main Authors: Kemper, Nathan S., Campbell, Dylan S., Reiman, Anna-Kaisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention deficits
behavioral experiment
Bravery
Confusion
Moral courage
moral judgment
Precursors
qualitative methods
Theft
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Summary:Research shows that people often do not intervene to stop immoral action from happening. However, limited information is available on why people fail to intervene. Two preregistered studies (Ns = 248, 131) explored this gap in the literature by staging a theft in front of participants and immediately interviewing them to inquire about their reasons for intervening or not intervening. Across both studies, most participants did not try to stop the theft or even report it to the experimenter afterward. Furthermore, many participants reported confusion and inattention as precursors to nonintervention, yielding insight into what inhibits moral courage.
ISSN:1050-8422
1532-7019
DOI:10.1080/10508422.2022.2104282