Group moral discount: Diffusing blame when judging group members

Sigal Vainapel*, Ori Weisel, Ro'i Zultan, Shaul Shalvi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

People lie more when they work as a group rather than alone. However, do people suspect and morally evaluate groups and individuals differently when they are suspiciously successful? In four experiments, we examine whether (a) suspiciously successful individuals and groups are judged and punished differently and (b) individual group members are judged differently from the group as one unit. Results suggest that people suspect successful groups and individuals to the same extent. However, group members are less likely to be suspected, judged negatively, punished, and reported on, when they are judged as separate individuals compared with as a group. The findings demonstrate a bias in judgment of group members, stemming from the method of evaluation—holistic or separate. We suggest that in order to minimize bias when judging misconduct by a group, the moral evaluation and punishment of all group members should be considered simultaneously.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)212-228
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Behavioral Decision Making
Volume32
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2019

Funding

FundersFunder number
European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programERC‐StG‐637915, ERC‐AdG 295707
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme637915
European Commission
European Research Council

    Keywords

    • decision making
    • dishonesty
    • ethical behavior
    • group behavior
    • judgment

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