Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Social Psychology

Yali horticulturalists in Papua are less willing to sacrifice one person to save five others

by Mane Kara-Yakoubian
December 25, 2021
in Social Psychology
(Photo credit: Flickr)

(Photo credit: Flickr)

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

According to a study published in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, the Yali – a traditional indigenous, non-Western society in the remote Yalimo valley in Papua, Indonesia – are significantly less willing than Western individuals to sacrifice one person to save five others. This finding suggests that utilitarian moral judgements to the trolley dilemma are likely mediated by sociocultural factors.

“Morality dominates many aspects of our everyday decision-making. We are willing to forego even considerable benefits if only we judge the required act as immoral. So, understanding how we form moral judgments is critical to understand how we decide, and think of ways to improve it,” said Michał Białek (@mbialek82), an associate professor at the University of Wrocław.

To date, most studies presenting the trolley dilemma have failed to consider the role of culture, often generalizing findings from Western populations to other populations, reflecting a moral absolutist view that moral judgements and culture or context are independent of each other.

“Cross-cultural studies are important to know what is universal, and what is culture-driven in our understanding of morality. And this is what we’ve done with this project,” Białek added.

The researchers recruited Yali people of Papua (109 individuals) and Canadians residing in Alberta (95 individuals), who represented non-WEIRD (i.e., Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) and WEIRD populations respectively. The Yali follow a traditional way of life, using land cultivation as the primary means of subsistence, sometimes supported by hunting and gathering. Further, their society is polygamous and male-dominated. The Canadian participants represented an industrialized Western population.

A modified, and more ecologically valid scenario of the trolley dilemma was presented, given the Yali’s unfamiliarity with trolleys and railways. Instead of a trolley, this scenario featured a collapsing tree. With the assistance of an interpreter, participants were asked to indicate whether they would push the tree to save five people, making the tree fall on one person and causing their death, or whether they would do nothing and let the tree collapse on all five people, resulting in their death.

“Remote tribes of Yali in Papua differ significantly from Canadians in how they make moral judgments. Contrary to Canadians, they would rather let many people die than actively sacrifice fewer people instead. For Yali, being consistent with universal rules is far more important than the direct outcome of an act,” Białek told PsyPost.

Compared with Canadians, the odds of Yali participants pushing the falling tree onto one person to save five others was 73% smaller. The researchers argue these findings reflect cultural differences between the two populations, which is evident in the explanations provided by Papuans immediately after the experiment.

First, given the harsh consequences of causing another’s death in Yali society, participants were unwilling to expose themselves to potential trouble by taking action; the accused would be killed, and the extended family of the blamed individual, and even their village, would be in danger of death. “This is because the relatives of the deceased person are obliged to compensate for the wrongdoing by killing the same or a greater number of persons,” the authors wrote.

The second most common explanation concerned religion, with Yali often arguing “that people should not interfere with the divine decision about someone’s life and death.”

Białek noted a potential limitation. “We have no idea what was driving the differences. It could be that Yali indeed are strongly attached to fixed and robust moral rules. However, they also mentioned they are afraid of the revenge the relatives of the sacrificed person would seek – on the agent, but possibly also on the family, or even the entire village. So, the reason to refuse to act could also be a cold calculation of the benefits to others versus costs to the self and own family.”

“Shortly after our study, Winking & Koster found that a different remote tribe, this time from Nicaragua, showed a totally reversed pattern of responses – they strongly endorsed a required sacrifice to save more people. We need to understand the reasoning behind the cultural variability in forming moral judgments. And it seems to be harder than we thought,” Białek said.

The study, “Trolley Dilemma in Papua. Yali horticulturalists refuse to pull the lever”, was authored by Michalina Marczak, Michał Misiak, Michał Białek, and Piotr Sorokowski.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePinSend

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

People are less satisfied with their marriage when their partner is not interested in social interactions, study finds

Individuals with secure emotional attachment are more likely to forgive and to be forgiven, study finds

Facing stigmatization due to depression can lower pain tolerance and increase catastrophizing

Anxiety knowledge is lower in those who seek information on social media more often, study finds

Owners of sex dolls are less prone to sexual aggression, but also have lower sexual self-esteem

Women whose male partners use porn more often tend to be less satisfied with emotional and sexual aspects of their relationship

RECENT

Masks hinder our ability to recognize facial expressions of sadness and fear

New research suggests populism and conspiracy mentality are both rooted in a fundamental disposition of distrust

Facing stigmatization due to depression can lower pain tolerance and increase catastrophizing

Individuals with secure emotional attachment are more likely to forgive and to be forgiven, study finds

Memory reactivation during sleep may not always improve memory consolidation

Women whose male partners use porn more often tend to be less satisfied with emotional and sexual aspects of their relationship

New research finds when small talk becomes awkward, we are more likely to blame ourselves

Heightened anxiety makes people more prone to share claims on social media

Currently Playing

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

Dark Triad
Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Cognitive Science
People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

Anxiety
Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Psychopathy
People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Relationships and Sexual Health
Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Mental Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.