Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Killer: Moral Choice in Virtual Environments

Chang, Justin H, Chang

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Communication.
Most popular entertainment media contains content that consumers would consider immoral if it occurred in real life. This study compares two models that explain this phenomenon, the Moral Disengagement Model and the Model of Intuitive Morality and Exemplars, and tests them in the context of a video game containing a moral dilemma. 208 participants completed an experiment in which they were given the option to kill or spare a virtual agent in a video game. The moral justification for killing was manipulated, and the participants’ moral foundations were measured to determine which model better predicted participant behavior. The results showed that neither model significantly predicted behavior; however, the data do show that people will anthropomorphize virtual agents with very little visual realism in video games, that killing these unrealistic agents still leads to feelings of guilt, and that seemingly simple moral dilemmas might activate several moral foundations.
Brad Bushman (Advisor)
Richard Huskey (Committee Member)
49 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Chang, Chang, J. H. (2018). The Killer: Moral Choice in Virtual Environments [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532035898806428

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Chang, Chang, Justin. The Killer: Moral Choice in Virtual Environments. 2018. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532035898806428.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Chang, Chang, Justin. "The Killer: Moral Choice in Virtual Environments." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1532035898806428

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)