1. Divergent roles of autistic and alexithymic traits in utilitarian moral judgments in adults with autism
- Author
-
Indrajeet Patil, Giorgia Silani, Kristina Hennig-Fast, and Jens Melsbach
- Subjects
Male ,Autism Spectrum Disorder ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Obsessive-compulsive and Related Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Sexual Dysfunctions ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Personality and Creativity ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Diagnosis ,Social and Behavioral Sciences ,Choice Behavior ,Developmental psychology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cognition ,bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Clinical Psychology ,Alexithymia ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Psychology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Testing and Assessment ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology ,health care economics and organizations ,media_common ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Prejudice and Discrimination ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Well-being ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Social Influence ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Clinical Ethics ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Affect and Emotion Regulation ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Bipolar and Related Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Social Well-being ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Elimination Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Intergroup Processes ,Clinical Psychology ,Autism spectrum disorder ,Social behaviour ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Self and Social Identity ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Personality Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Neurocognitive Disorders ,Social Psychology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Somatization ,media_common.quotation_subject ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Interventions ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Narrative Research ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Diversity ,Morals ,behavioral disciplines and activities ,Article ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Genetic factors ,03 medical and health sciences ,Judgment ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Personality and Situations ,Social cognition ,Moral psychology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Personality Processes ,Human behaviour ,Humans ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Impression Formation ,Autistic Disorder ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Violence and Aggression ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Achievement and Status ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Clinical Decision Making ,Psychological Tests ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Prosocial Behavior ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Assessment ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Gender Dysphoria ,medicine.disease ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Self-esteem ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Trait Theory ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Substance Abuse and Addiction ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Psychotic Disorders ,Empathy ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Religion and Spirituality ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Intragroup Processes ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Social Cognition ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Feeding and Eating Disorders ,Emotions ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Theories of Personality ,Personal distress ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Clinical Psychophysiology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Moral Behavior ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Psychotherapy ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Self-regulation ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Motivational Behavior ,Multidisciplinary ,05 social sciences ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Clinical Neuropsychology ,Middle Aged ,humanities ,FOS: Psychology ,bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Social Psychology ,Female ,bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Personality and Social Contexts ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Disruptive, Impulse-control, and Conduct Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Attitudes and Persuasion ,Adult ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Politics ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Psychopharmacology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Individual Differences ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Nonverbal Behavior ,050105 experimental psychology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Anxiety Disorders ,Young Adult ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Dissociative Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Interpersonal Relationships ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Clinical Child Psychology ,medicine ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Affective Symptoms ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Disability ,Empathic concern ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Sleep-wake Disorders ,Analysis of Variance ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Trauma and Stress ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Neurodevelopmental Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Sexuality ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Cultural Differences ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Paraphilic Disorders ,bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences ,Autism ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Depressive Disorders ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Couples, Marriage, and Family ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Therapy - Abstract
This study investigated hypothetical moral choices in adults with high-functioning autism and the role of empathy and alexithymia in such choices. We used a highly emotionally salient moral dilemma task to investigate autistics’ hypothetical moral evaluations about personally carrying out harmful utilitarian behaviours aimed at maximizing welfare. Results showed that they exhibited a normal pattern of moral judgments despite the deficits in social cognition and emotional processing. Further analyses revealed that this was due to mutually conflicting biases associated with autistic and alexithymic traits after accounting for shared variance: (a) autistic traits were associated with reduced utilitarian bias due to elevated personal distress of demanding social situations, while (b) alexithymic traits were associated with increased utilitarian bias on account of reduced empathic concern for the victim. Additionally, autistics relied on their non-verbal reasoning skills to rigidly abide by harm-norms. Thus, utilitarian moral judgments in autism were spared due to opposite influences of autistic and alexithymic traits and compensatory intellectual strategies. These findings demonstrate the importance of empathy and alexithymia in autistic moral cognition and have methodological implications for studying moral judgments in several other clinical populations.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF