The Intention-Outcome Asymmetry Effect: How Incongruent Intentions and Outcomes Influence Judgments of Responsibility and Causality

Knowledge of intention and outcome is integral to making judgments of responsibility, blame, and causality. Yet, little is known about the effect of conflicting intentions and outcomes on these judgments. In a series of four experiments, we combine good and bad intentions with positive and negative...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental psychology 2017-03, Vol.64 (2), p.124-141
Main Authors: Sarin, Arunima, Lagnado, David A, Burgess, Paul W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blame
Causality
Female
Human
Intention
Judgment
Male
Morality
Responsibility
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Summary:Knowledge of intention and outcome is integral to making judgments of responsibility, blame, and causality. Yet, little is known about the effect of conflicting intentions and outcomes on these judgments. In a series of four experiments, we combine good and bad intentions with positive and negative outcomes, presenting these through everyday moral scenarios. Our results demonstrate an asymmetry in responsibility, causality, and blame judgments for the two incongruent conditions: well-intentioned agents are regarded more morally and causally responsible for negative outcomes than ill-intentioned agents are held for positive outcomes. This novel effect of an intention-outcome asymmetry identifies an unexplored aspect of moral judgment and is partially explained by extra inferences that participants make about the actions of the moral agent.
ISSN:1618-3169
2190-5142
DOI:10.1027/1618-3169/a000359