A Moral Inference Triad: Dispositional Attribution, Generalized Morality, and Essentialism

Abstract

Moral inferences are critical for interpreting and responding effectively to others' behavior. Previous research in moral psychology has explored how people make moral judgments and form inferences about others’ behavior. Within this literature, two key dimensions of moral character inference have been identified: situational vs. dispositional attribution and localized vs. generalized morality. More recently, dispositional attribution and generalized morality have been theorized to contribute to essentialism. However, the nature of this contribution remains unclear. Although all of these frameworks have been studied extensively within their respective areas of psychology, their potential connections have not yet been systematically examined within a unified framework. Through an empirical study, we bridge these research areas by examining the relationship among dispositional attribution, generalized morality, and essentialism. Implications are discussed for law, social psychology, and clinical psychology, where moral inferences impact decision-making, interpersonal evaluation, and treatment strategies. Keywords: Moral inference, moral cognition, dispositional attribution, generalized morality, essentialism