Behaviorist theory about the motivations for human act

Assumes people usually make rational decision based off of cost-benefit calculations, people act based off of punishment and regard. Later funds cognitive dissonance theory

AKA -- what will give one the best personal outcome

bystander effect

Idea that people are less likely to be good samaritan or jump to action while in group settings

ex:
- Deletha Ward (bridge)
- Coin/Pencil Experiment

categorization (eberhardt)

Dr. Eberhardt mentions that humans have a natural tendency to make categorizations. Categorizations are used in memory and processing information. when it comes o people, there are inferior and superior people

catharsis

Expressing anger or behaving aggressively to get rid of anger (research says this doesn't really work; people often feel worse afterwards)

cognitive dissonance

recognizing contradiction to our thoughts and actions

discomfort when our beliefs, attitudes or behaviors conflict

character

we are changed by what we do

external effect (tiffany: change the world around us)

internal effect (justin lee to liz: changes us)

Cognitive Dissonance Example

smoking despite knowing that it causes cancer

Thought 1: smoking is cancer causing
Thought 2: I am addicted and love the nicotine

Result: Person smokes and uses self-justification
Reasoning: People act out in hopes of solving the cognitive dissonance.

confabulation

When one's memory fills in false information to help connect the voids from memory fragmentations.

confusing a correlation with a cause

Correlation : something that occurs in tandem with another but isn't typically the reason for the other occurrence. Simply a coincidence.

Cause: actual reasoning behind something

ex 1: Malaria
ex 2: autism cause

confirmation bias

when people selectively seek out information that bolsters their own previously accepted view.

Example: Policy proposal acceptance based on party lines.

conscience (including the 3 levels and conscience as proximate norm of morality, and the Continuum Model of Moral Responsibility (Moral Responsibility))

conscience is the level of choice

3 Levels of Conscience:
1. synderesis (capacity, typically not noticed/seen)
2. practical reasoning (process)
3. Decision

conscience as proximate norm of morality

conscience doesn't make things right/wrong

- conscience sets personal standards as moral right/wrong

Continuum Model of Moral Responsibility

be responsible in a moral sense for the actions performed, must have knowledge about what they are doing and freedom.

ex: hitman

A picks up a gun and kills person B (innocent)
-To be responsible in a moral sense for the action they perform, persons must also have _________:
*motive
*mental illness or disability
*knowledge about gun
*heat of moment (crimes of passion)
*element of compulsion (them being threatened to shoot)
*age

contrast experience (LEE)

when you think one way, but experience another

ex 1: Lee's experience at concert
- sees guy but with Liz

continued influence effect

if i learn something wrong, even if I know its wrong, its hard to get it out of your head and correct it.

conversion

process of changing habits, or moral actions

a change in character

- very difficult to do esp when faced with stress

cover story

a story that one uses to keep others from suspecting the truth.

ex: Justin Lee's cover to maintain his "heterosexuality"

dropped coin/pencil experiment

a. In elevators, actors would drop stuff and see who would help them/offer to pick it up
b. Found that 40% of the time if it was just 2 people that the one would help
c. Decreased to 15% when a larger group was present

factory fire experiment

Experiment shows how hard it is to correct misinformation once someone has acquired, processed, and accepted it.

People thought factory started and people thought it was arson. It wasn't arson and they were told this but people still remembered that being the cause

finitude (general and particular)

definition: The state of being limited or having limitations. Basic aspect of what it means to be human.

General Finitude:
- All people born in certain places and time. Culture of one own's
- All humans have a set of experiences that shape perception of reality, can be positive or negative

Particular Finitude:
- UNCONTROLLABLE finitude, such as mental illness & trauma
- Doesn't last a lifetime, not everyone experiences this

Firing coaches to improve team performance (De Becker Powerpoint)

example of action bias

- no actual proven affect to benefit team

freedom of choice

The ability of a person to make a decision

- knowledge is necessary for moral responsibility

formal sin

wrong action for which I had enough knowledge and freedom for moral responsibility, opposite of actus hominus

- a two year old does not yet have formal sin

"getting what you want by revising what you had"

People revise their memory to make them appear more more successful than they actually were.

Example: the study skill students who convinced themselves the study program was beneficial even though it truly wasn't

growth in the image and likeness of God

goal of Christian moral life

guilt feelings

Feeling guilty (conscience) isn't the same as being guilty (example: sociopaths)

habits

"fixed", automatic behaviors

hidden brain

causes them to act differently in occasions of mass chaos (theory by Vendantam)

- Peoples decisions aren't always a product of conscious, deliberate choice
- Ancestral to go back to group survival mentality.

Human Act or actus humanus

action performed by a human who had enough knowledge and freedom for moral responsibility

hyperthermia

Abnormally high body temperature

- Fatal Distraction essay by Weingarten

illusory truth

people tend to believe information to be correct after repeated exposure, even if it is false

something sounds more plausible if you've heard it before

implicit bias

attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner

information deficit model

model definition: assumes that public misperceptions are due to a lack of knowledge and that the solution is more information. (model=wrong)

- Idea that too much information actually is worse. There is a happy medium amount of information for someone to believe something to be true.

invincible ignorance

ignorance that cannot be overcome with reasonable effort

ex: knowledge or lack there of about a religion (takes a lot of effort to "understand" a religion, not an easy effort)

JACA checklist (de Becker)

justification for violence, alternative for violence, consequences, ability to carry out violence

- gift of fear

Malaria

historical example of people confusing correlation and cause

Issue: People believed that bad air quality was the reason behind Malaria

- However, there was just a correlation to bad smells, hot temps, and additional water. Water environment in hot temps created perfect recipe for mosquito infestations which actually carried Malaria around

Causation: mosquito carrying mosquitos.

mean between extremes

refers to Aristotle and his idea that qualities (moral virtues) are most appropriate when they occur at the "mean"

memory as a mosaic

Our memory only stores fragments that we put together to make a large, full context memory/story.

- Remember stuff that aligns with the original "picture/story" simply memories that fill the gaps. Memories are remembered to fit into the large picture of ones life.

Tavris and Aronson on Memory

memory as the "self-justifying historian"

Tavris and Aronson idea that humans often construct their memories to justify their actions and make themselves look the best.

ex: grad student

Milgrim Experiment

Had participants deliver levels of shock that were life threatening (⅔ did so)

Why did they do this?:
i. Listen to authority figure
ii. "The experiment requires that you continue"

- Experiment was a demonstration of long-term results of self-justification

Q: What was the Milgrim experiment a demonstration of?

long-term results of self-justification & pyramid of choice

- once people started with the small decision to use minimal voltage there decisions culminated

- shows how ordinary people can do immoral and harmful things through chain acts

objective morality of an action versus its subjective significance

Objective morality - focus is on the rightness or wrongness of the action itself
Subjective significance - what the action says about the person who performs it

Ex: Discussions of moral responsibility
Think toddler shooting someone action vs subjective significance. (actus hominis)

Oedipus Model

One is responsible for an action as long as it happened. No other reasoning is assessed.

Ancient Greek

What are the 2 models for understanding Moral Responsibility?

1. Oedipus Model (ancient greek)
- one is responsible for action NO MATTER the circumstances

2. Continuum Model (Common Model)
- morality is a spectrum
- must have knowledge of background information

Other-race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races

ex: Dr. Eberhart as a child in Ohio

Physical Responsibility Versus Moral Responsibility

Action vs Intent

ex: Toddler Shoots Someone (actus hominis...child did'nt have freedom to know/take moral responsibility)

Physical Responsibility= yes

Moral Responsibility = no
- the toddler didn't know any better

Practical Reasoning

a level of conscience

conscience as process

1. Culture and family play a large impact in response to moral problems
2. "Morally gifted" ; age and maturity play large role in moral evaluation

Q: Why is cognitive dissonance considered morally neutral?

A: Cognitive dissonance can be used positively or negatively.

Negative Example: If I self-justify and harm someone else (the bully example) to get rid of dissonance

Positive Example: dissonance creates a wake up call that I need to change

Q: Why does cognitive dissonance happen to people?

humans are finite.

Prudence

helps us to distinguish the mean from the 2 extremes

wisdom, caution, or restraint

appropriateness

pyramid of choice

Idea that two people whose ideas were originally very close may grow farther apart as they make subsequent choices that reinforce the original choice.

Example: Cheating vs. non-cheating students

- Two students may not remember their original position after they have made the choices that led them to/not to cheat

What explains Mike decision to stop Tommy at all costs?

pyramid of choice

sanctification

refers to growth in the image and likeness of God (moral development)

becoming holy through God's grace

Catholic Term

Theosis vs Sanctification

Same meaning, two words from different religions

refers to growth (or failure to grow) in the image and likeness of God (moral development). CAN ONLY BE DONE with God's help because of human finitude.

Theosis: Orthodox term

Sanctification: Catholic Term

Q: Can moral development in the likeness and image of God occur even if one doesn't have faith in Jesus?

depends on which Christian sect you ask

Christian Yes: Catholics
Christian No:

social chameleons, as a description for sociopaths/psychopaths

sociopaths... have a good way of putting on a show that they/everything is perfectly normal

its not the personal action but the thoughts behind the action we question

social sin

a cycle of sin, violence, and injustice on a large scale that is caused by individual sins culmination overtime

Sociopath (psychopath)

person that does not have a conscience or ability to develop

Sunk Cost Fallacy

unwillingness to let go

- giving up - losing everything you have done to get there

idea that I've already invested so much in something (time, money, effort), that I can't walk away without losing my investment.

- influences over conscience affects practical behavior

Synderesis

a level of conscience

conscience as capacity

1. The capacity to understand there's a difference between right or wrong.
2. Understanding that right or wrong exists, answer is capable of understanding

theological virtues

faith, hope, love

Thomas Aquinas

founder of theological virtues

theosis

refers to growth (or failure to grow) in the image and likeness of God (moral development). CAN ONLY BE DONE with God's help because of human finitude.

Orthodox Term

values

the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes about what is important that help guide the way you live

vincible ignorance

Ignorance that is purposely created.
- things we dont want to know
can be overcome by ordinary diligence.

virtues and vices

virtues= positive

- make the person and the persons work good - aristole

vices = negative

attitudes, affections, and habits

Waiting room experiment

- standing up video

Point was that people are prone to copy/follow the behaviors of others without information or reasoning.

In Waiting Room Experiment, whenever a sound chimed, group within waiting room would stand up. New member to room ended up following their action of standing up without solid reasoning for why they were doing it

The people that learned the behavior then became the "leader/teacher"

People don't want to feel left out or misplaced

Author: Stout

a. Stamp Man = sociopath that devoted life to stealing stamps from post office. ALWAYS caught. stops behaviors with age because learns that they don't like jail

b. Skip (Skip's Mother, sister, and wife)
Skip = sociopath, no conscience. Brilliant individual with twisted mind. Manipulates others, tortured animals, thought about parents death calculations.
Skip's Mother: pretended that Skip was normal, didn't want to accept truth; "do you really need to do that to her life (on marrying Juliette) WHAT WOULD THIS BE CALLED?
Sister: Skip exploded frog in front of her
Wife, Juliette: to be "attractive and respectful on his arm"

c. Skip's Secretary: Skip broke her arm in anger

d. Student from Columbine: sociopath bomber, very good at manipulation. NOT socially awkward.

Author: Vedantam

A. Tiffany Alexander: Bystander on bridge during beating of Deletha

B. Deletha Word: beaten on bridge by Martell. jumped to death. No group action to help her

C. Martell Welch: Beat Deletha, tried and found guilty

D. Will DeRiso: escaped world trade center. Followed friend, went against group. Had urge to go back to floor because that was where the group was.

Author: Justin Lee

writing about self

- wrote about childhood Christian experience as homosexual man

a. Brian: friend of Lee that comes out as bisexual

b. Liz: long-time friend of Lee's b4 they started dating
- realized Justin was gay, gave him book.
- went to theater together

c. Justin's father: conversation with father about "crush" on blonde Suzanne

d. the speaker at the Ex-Gay Conference: claimed that gayness was a result of overbearing mom and distant father.
- Justin DID NOT agree, didn't take easy answer.

Author: De Becker

A. Mike and Jackie Fedder: Couple that owned travel agency together. Met Tommy via mutual acquaintance. Tommy wanted travel job but was overly persistant.

B. Tommy: over-persistant man looking for a job from Fedder's. Wouldn't take no for answer. Eventually got the idea when Fedder's ignored him. Asked Mike for a letter of recommendation.

Author: Weingarten

leaving kids in cars

a. Lyn Balfour:
- went to court in support of Miles
- offers to carry baby of Harrison's who lost their adopted child
- Lyn's son Bryce died @ fertility clinic parking lot
- husband in army

b. Miles Harrison:
- forgot to drop child off at daycare before work...in car for 9 hours
- criminally charged

Author Eberhardt:

a. Dr. Eberhardt's story in junior high:

b. the police officer who was following himself:
- Police officer had an incident where he believed someone looked suspicious so he started tailing them into large glass building
- He turned around to confront the person and saw the reflection of himself through the mirrored wall.
- Office was tailing and profiling itself, a black male.
- shows impact of implicit bias as a social sin

c. Dr. Eberhardt's son on the plane:
- son says black guy on plane looks like his dad but probably has a gun
- "I hope this guy doesn't rob the plane"
- Illustrates that social sin is embedded into society as to where no one can truly escape the bounds. If someone at such a young age can feel it, it shows the depth to which Social Sin reaches. systemic racism

Author: Tavris and Aronson

- wrote the memory chapter about how mind isn't concrete as many tend to believe.

a. Mrs. Keech: woman that made followers believe that the end of the world was coming. Didn't happen "their faith stopped it". Followers had greater belief and trust in her because realization otherwise is hard to accept
NOTE: behaviorism doesn't explain the followers irrational behavior

b. Leon Festinger: developed idea of Cognitive Dissonance

- psychologist that wrote information about Mrs. Keech group who thought the world was going to end.

Festinger explained this all-too-human need to justify past actions as driven by something he termed "cognitive dissonance"

c. Ben Franklin and the book: idea that if you do a favor for an "enemy" they end up liking you more.
- Franklin borrowed a book from a political opponent and they became good friends.

d. Nick and his Mercedes:

impulsively bought new car and show off to his friends convincing himself that the car is more safe than his friends to make his purchase feel validated

e. Thurber's "The Wonderful O": Recalled vivid memory where father read her a book
- later in adulthood, found out that book was published after father's death
- CONFABULATION

f. *professor's memory of his decision to attend
graduate school out of state:* example of justifying memory change

g. Holly Ramona: believe inaccurate information despite not having any mental deficiency (pyramid of choice); power of persuasion & justification, imagination inflation, memory open to suggestion from therapist

h. Bruno Grosjean: convinced he was a holocaust survivor
- pyramid of choice

What is the Holly Ramona and Bruno Grosjean story of memory and example of?

Pyramid of Choice

convinced by therapist that father sexually abused her

- wasn't true
- father sued therapist and won
- holly REMAINED convinced she had been sexually abused

Why: by believing abuse occurred it helped her make sense as to why she was suffering (Eating Disorder and depression)

vicious/virtuous cycle

- one good deed --> more likely to do another

if you ask someone to do a favor for you, their opinion of you may actually improve

ex: Tommy manipulating and asking Mike for letter of rec

paul - bible theology

Follower of Jesus who helped spread Christianity throughout the Roman world.

1. Came up with the idea of ... 3 theological virtues
- faith, hope, and love

2. Paul's Letters (New Testament) had the first mention of conscience in bible

conscience vs conscious

conscience: noun; refers to the "right and wrong" distinguisher

Conscious: adjective; people can be aware, cognizant or unaware (as in asleep)

What are the three levels of conscience?

1. synderesis
2. practical reasoning
3. judgement/decision

conscience doesnt make things right or wrong

- sets personal standards moral right/wrong

Aristotle

Greek philosopher.

- idea of what a virtue is, the middle ground

Virtues:
1. make "the person and the person's work, good"
- virtuous person has developed a habit that has improved themselves
2. virtue is the middle ground between the two extremes

Thomas Aquinas

Gave the 3 Theological Virtues, introduced the idea (hope, faith, and love taken from Paul)

- Theological virtues are gifts from God.

can NEVER be in excess

JACA checklist

Becker's criteria for deciding whether a person who makes a threat actually poses one
- Most people who make threats don't mean it.

J ustification
A lternatives
C onsequences
A bilty

theological anthropology

understanding of what it means to be a human being

* All major Christian sects agree is that human being are created in the image and likeness of God*

Q: According to the material presented in class, is it possible for a person capable of moral agency to reach adulthood without developing a character? Why or why not?

NO

If you reach adulthood and you are capable of moral agency, you will develop a character. Some people spend a lot of time thinking about it; others don't. But either way, the person will develop specific moral habits and values.