 Higher cognitive ability linked to weaker moral foundations in UK adultsMichael Zakharin and Timothy C. Bates Intelligence, 2025, vol. 111, issue C Abstract: Existing research on the relationship between cognitive ability and moral foundations has yielded contradictory results. While some studies suggest that higher cognitive ability is associated with more enlightened moral intuitions, others indicate it may weaken moral foundations. To address this ambiguity, we conducted two studies (total N = 1320) using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire-2 (MFQ-2) with UK residents. Both Study 1 and Study 2 (preregistered) revealed negative links between cognitive ability and moral foundations. In Study 1, structural models showed negative links between general intelligence (g) and both binding (−0.24) and individualizing (−0.19) foundations. These findings replicated closely in Study 2, with similar coefficients (−0.25 and − 0.18, respectively). Higher verbal ability was specifically associated with lower purity scores. These findings suggest a negative association between cognitive ability and moral foundations, challenging existing theories relating to intelligence and moral intuitions. However, causal direction remains uncertain. Keywords: Moral foundations; MFQ; G; Intelligence; Cognitive ability; ICAR; Purity (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:intell:v:111:y:2025:i:c:s0160289625000339 DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2025.101930 Access Statistics for this article Intelligence is currently edited by R.J. Haier More articles in Intelligence from Elsevier |
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