Bakker, Lara (2025) Kleurt Taal Ons Oordeel? De Invloed van FLE en de Correspondence Bias in ‘If-Only’ Gedachten. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
In situations where something goes wrong, people tend to form moral judgements and assign responsibility. Previous research suggests that reasoning in a second language leads to less emotional and more rational judgements, a phenomenon known as the Foreign Language Effect (FLE). This study investigated whether using a second language influences moral judgements in ‘if-only’ scenario’s, specifically examining blame attribution and attribution style. The study used a 2x2 between-subjects experimental design with 595 Spanish speaking participants. They read a hypothetical scenario in either their native language (Spanish) or a second language (English). The scenario ended with either a mutable (avoidable) or immutable (unavoidable) outcome. Typically, avoidable outcomes are associated with higher blame attribution. Contrary to expectations, the results revealed an opposite pattern. Participants in the English condition reported higher blame attribution and stronger dispositional attributions compared to those in the Spanish condition. Only the scenario effect was confirmed. Blame attribution was higher in the mutable condition than in the immutable one. A significant interaction effect was found between language and scenario for situational attribution, but follow up tests showed no clear differences. These findings suggest that the FLE does not always occur and may be influenced by contextual factors such as language proficiency and scenario ambiguity. These unexpected results highlight the complexity of moral judgment processes in a second language and call for further research into the boundary conditions of the FLE.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Epstude, K. and Donofrio, S.M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Jul 2025 08:59 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Jul 2025 08:59 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5387 |
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