Surveying ethics: a measurement model of preference for precepts implied in moral theories (PPIMT)

Dubljevic, V. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-587X, Cacace, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0419-4506 and Desmarais, S. L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4976-1276 (2022) Surveying ethics: a measurement model of preference for precepts implied in moral theories (PPIMT). Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 13. pp. 197-214. ISSN 1878-5158 doi: 10.1007/s13164-021-00530-z

Abstract/Summary

Recent research in empirical moral psychology attempts to understand (rather than place judgment on) the salient normative differences that laypeople have when making moral decisions by using survey methodology that is based on the operationalized principles from moral theories. The PPIMT is the first measure designed to assess respondents’ preference for the precepts implied in the three dominant moral theories: virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism. The current study used a latent modeling approach to determine the most theoretically and psychometrically-sound model for the PPIMT using a combined sample of college students from a southeastern university in U.S. and MTurk respondents. The PPIMT model fit was acceptable (χ2 = 84.125, df = 40, p = 0.001; RMSEA = 0.052, 90%CI = 0.037 to 0.068; CFI = 0.980; SRMR = 0.035) with four items for Virtue, four items for Deontology, and three items for Consequentialism.