Morality in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

• Published in: Development and psychopathology 2020-08, Vol.32 (3), p.1069-1085
• Main Authors: Dempsey, E. E., Moore, C., Johnson, S. A., Stewart, S. H., Smith, I. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autism; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Decision making; Empathy; Literature reviews; Medical ethics; Morality; Pain; Psychology; Regular Articles; Researchers; Systematic review
• ISSN: 0954-5794; 1469-2198
• DOI: 10.1017/S0954579419001160

Moral reasoning and decision making help guide behavior and facilitate interpersonal relationships. Accounts of morality that position commonsense psychology as the foundation of moral development, (i.e., rationalist theories) have dominated research in morality in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Given the well-documented differences in commonsense psychology among autistic individuals, researchers have investigated whether the development and execution of moral judgement and reasoning differs in this population compared with neurotypical individuals. In light of the diverse findings of investigations of moral development and reasoning in ASD, a summation and critical evaluation of the literature could help make sense of what is known about this important social-cognitive skill in ASD. To that end, we conducted a systematic review of the literature investigating moral decision making among autistic children and adults. Our search identified 29 studies. In this review, we synthesize the research in the area and provide suggestions for future research. Such research could include the application of an alternative theoretical framework to studying morality in autism spectrum disorder that does not assume a deficits-based perspective.