Researchers have long been fascinated by the complex interplay between language and moral decision-making. In a recent study, a team from the University of the Balearic Islands delved into this intriguing subject, focusing on early bilinguals and how their language use might influence their moral choices. Led by Dr. Albert Flexas, in collaboration with Dr. Raul Lopez-Penades, Dr. Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla, and Dr. Daniel Adrover-Roig, the research explored whether the Foreign Language effect (FLe) holds true for early, highly proficient Catalan-Spanish bilinguals. Their findings, published in PLOS ONE, challenge some established assumptions and shed new light on the role of personality traits in moral decision-making.
The study involved a group of Catalan-dominant undergraduate students who were highly proficient in both Catalan and Spanish. Participants were presented with moral dilemmas, split evenly between the two languages, and their responses were analyzed for utilitarian versus deontological decision-making. Surprisingly, the researchers found no significant difference in the moral decisions made in Catalan compared to those made in Spanish. This contradicts previous research suggesting that people are more likely to make utilitarian decisions when dilemmas are presented in a second language due to reduced emotional impact.
Dr. Flexas noted, “Our findings suggest that early bilinguals, who are equally proficient in both languages, do not exhibit the Foreign Language effect. This challenges the notion that a second language inherently provides greater emotional distance.”
The study also examined the influence of personality traits, particularly those associated with psychopathy, on moral decisions. Participants completed the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, which assesses boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. The researchers found that meanness, characterized by a lack of empathy and a propensity for cruelty, was significantly associated with a higher proportion of utilitarian decisions, regardless of the language of the dilemma. This aligns with previous studies suggesting that individuals with higher psychopathic traits are more likely to make utilitarian choices, prioritizing the greater good over individual harm.
The lack of a Foreign Language effect in this study might be attributed to the close linguistic and cultural relationship between Catalan and Spanish, both Romance languages used interchangeably in many social and educational contexts in Mallorca. This dual-language environment may diminish FLe typically observed when people switch to a more distantly related second language.
Additionally, the study explored how participants’ assessments of the dilemmas—such as perceived vividness, verisimilitude, and emotional arousal—influenced their moral choices. The results showed that dilemmas perceived as more vivid and realistic were more likely to elicit utilitarian responses, particularly among individuals with higher meanness scores. This highlights the complex interplay between personal traits and contextual factors in shaping moral judgments.
Dr. Flexas emphasized, “Our research underscores the importance of considering individual differences and the specific linguistic context when studying moral decision-making. Early bilinguals’ deep integration of both languages into their daily lives, here in Mallorca, likely neutralizes the moral distinct decisions seen in other bilingual populations.”
In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the factors influencing moral decision-making in bilinguals. It challenges the generalized applicability of the Foreign Language effect and highlights the significant role of personality traits like meanness in shaping moral choices. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between language, emotion, and morality, offering a fresh perspective on how bilingualism and individual differences intersect in ethical decision-making.
Journal Reference
Flexas, A., López-Penadés, R., Aguilar-Mediavilla, E., & Adrover-Roig, D. (2023). Meanness trumps language: Lack of foreign language effect in early bilinguals’ moral choices. PLOS ONE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294523
About The Authors
Dr. Albert Flexas is a tenured contract lecturer at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), teaching developmental psychology across the lifespan. In 2015, he became Director of the Psychology Degree at Isabel I University in Burgos, managing academic processes and teaching neuropsychology and communication. He returned to UIB in 2017 and is currently the Deputy Dean for Academic Coordination in the Faculty of Education. His earlier research on the biological bases of aesthetic appreciation (neuroaesthetics) and moral cognition (neuroethics) earned him the extraordinary doctoral award for 2013-14 in the Cognition and Human Evolution program. Dr. Flexas has published over 27 works, including 15 JCR-indexed articles and 7 book chapters, contributing to aesthetic appreciation, neural networks, and moral decision-making. As a member of the research group on Development, Education, and Language (I+DEL), his current research interests include moral cognition and the interplay between language, emotion, and morality.
Dr. Raul Lopez-Penades has worked in research groups affiliated with two Spanish universities. Initially, he was at the Affective Neuroscience Laboratory of Jaume I University of Castellón, where he defended his doctoral thesis in 2010. Since 2014, he has been at the I+DEL Research Group at UIB, currently holding a position as Senior lecturer. Dr. Lopez-Penades’ research interests have evolved over the years. Initially, he focused on basic psychological processes such as emotion, associative learning, and executive control, which underlie psychopathologies like psychopathy, anxiety, and substance addiction. He gained experience in experimental methods based on behavioral and psychophysiological measurements and was involved in research on normal and pathological personality and the adaptation and validation of research and psychological assessment instruments. In recent years, Dr. Lopez-Penades has focused on studying the cognitive advantages of bilingualism and the psychological characteristics of children with specific support needs, particularly their association with bullying and cyberbullying.
Dr. Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla is a full professor at UIB. She directs the Institute for Educational Research and Innovation (IRIE) at UIB, presides over the International Association for the Study of Language Acquisition (AEAL), and serves on the executive committee of the International Association for the Study of Child Language (IASCL). She also co-directs the I+DEL research group. Dr. Aguilar-Mediavilla has taught and researched at several universities, including UB, UNED, UOC, Universitat d’Andorra, Palacky University, City University in London, and Centro Peruano de Audición, Lenguaje y Aprendizaje (CPAL). Her research focuses on language acquisition, language difficulties, bilingualism, and phonology. She has led three national projects and contributed to seven others, publishing over 45 papers, 48 books and chapters, and participated in 134 conferences. She is an expert evaluator for the EU and ANEP in Spain and serves as associate editor for Frontiers in Psychology and Revista de Logopedia, Foniatría y Audiología.
Dr. Daniel Adrover-Roig is a Senior lecturer at UIB, teaching Developmental Psychology in School Age, Educational Psychology, and Language Disorders in Primary Education. He has enjoyed predoctoral research stays at Universität Würzburg in Germany, the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University in the UK, and a two-year postdoctoral research stay at the Université de Montreal in Canada. Dr. Adrover-Roig has also held administrative roles, including Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education and Coordinator of Admission Tests for Early Childhood and Primary Education. Currently, Dr. Adrover-Roig also co-directs the I+DEL research group at UIB. His recent research focuses on bullying victimization and its links to educational needs and language and communication difficulties. Earlier work investigated the neural and behavioral correlates of bilingualism and its impact on aging. He led three research projects and his contributions resulted in around 35 JCR-indexed articles and over 25 books and book chapters.
This article was financially supported by the State Research Agency of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN/AEI- Spanish Government) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the form of grants PID2021-123770OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”.
