Experiment 4 - Power

🧠 Background

• Previous studies seem to suggest that power might be a factor in the decisions we make about moral judgements.
• This experiment explored whether having high or low power affected how people judged intention.

🧪 Method

• Participants: 100 people.
• Each read stories where the main character had either more or less power in the situation.
• They rated how intentional and responsible the character’s actions seemed.

📊 Findings

• A significant interaction emerged between the agent’s power level and the side-effect condition.
• Power changed how strongly people linked harmful outcomes with level of blame.

💬 Summary

Power influenced the way people interpreted responsibility in side-effect scenarios. People tended to ascribe high levels of blame to low-power individuals for the harmful side-effects. Those in powerful roles were judged differently and were not afforded the same level of blame compared to those in less powerful positions.

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