Research

Experimental

MyBioethics application aims to teach bioethics to all those who are interested in learning more about real bioethical challenges. To generate data on the app’s potential benefits to the users, we empirically study how the use of the app impacts users’ deliberative and moral competencies. In our experimental research setting, we will study whether the use of the app increases users’ ability to justify their decisions in moral dilemmas, search for the common good and recognize various ethical principles related to moral dilemmas. We will also make various changes to our research setting to study the impact of different design choices.

In-App

MyBioethics application has built-in research capabilities that are used to advance empirical exploration of moral intuition, ethical deliberation, and decision-making. With the approval of the authors of selected research instruments, we work to uncover interesting connections between relevant psychosocial constructs and detectable trends in the dilemma answers.

Research findings

The surveys listed below can be found in the application. Our users can utilise these for ethical self-reflection whilst anonymously contributing to a new form of empirical ethics research.

So far, two of our surveys, Existential Quest and Need for Cognition, have received over 100 entries. This sample already gives us an idea of the score distribution and enables us to make preliminary guesses about connections to specific ethical dilemmas.

Existential Quest

Openness to changes in one’s worldview

Items: 8
Scale: 0-48

Average score:

32.24 Points (of 140 submissions)

Distribution
Last updated June 7, 2023
(N=135)

Need for Cognition

Tendency to engage in effortful thinking

Items: 6
Scale: 0-24

Average score:

16.91 Points (of 114 submissions)

Distribution
Last updated June 7, 2023
(N=107)

Need for Affect

Tendency to approach or avoid powerful emotions

Items: 10
Scale: 0-30 (x2)
Factors: Approach, Avoidance

Average scores:

24.88 Points (of 51 submissions)

13.88 Points (of 49 submissions)

Nature Relatedness

Sense of connection with the nature

Items: 6
Scale: 0-24

Average score:

16.53 Points (of 74 submissions)


Life Orientation

Dispositional optimism or pessimism

Items: 6
Scale: 0-24

Average score:

15.25 Points (of 20 submissions)


More coming soon…

Survey references

The table below displays the present selection of surveys as well as a few prospective additions.

Research instrumentOriginal publicationVersion publicationAdded
Need for Cognition scale (NCs)Cacioppo & Petty 1982de Holanda Coelho et.al. 2020Yes
Existential Quest scale (EQs)Pachterbeke et.al. 2011Rizzo et.al. 2019Yes
Need for Affect scale (NAs)Maio & Esses 2002Appel et.al. 2012Yes
Nature Relatedness scale (NRs)Nisbet et.al. 2008Nisbet & Zelenski 2013Yes
Life Orientation test (LOt)Scheier & Carver 1985Scheier et.al. 1994Yes
Need for Closure scaleWebster & Kruglanski 1994Roets & Van Hiel 2011
Moral Sensitivity scaleKim Lützén et.al. 2006
Connectedness scaleWatts et.al. 2022
Intolerance of Uncertainty scaleBuhr & Dugas 2002Carleton et.al. 2007
Last updated May 22, 2023

The table below displays some of our preliminary findings. These are connections between surveys and dilemmas, hinting that these factors may play a role in our ethical decision-making.

A positive correlation means that users with higher scores are more likely to answer A. Instead a correlation equal to zero means there to be no connection between the dilemma and the survey. H0 stands for the Zero Hypothesis, which asserts there to be no difference between the users that answered A or B, regarding the survey in question.

DilemmaSurveyCorrelation (r)Probability of H0 (p)Sample (n)
Moral Imagination #2NCs-,15,14100
Ethical Argumentation #2EQs-,15,11117
Informed Consent #3EQs,24,0567
Self-Experimentation #1NCs,22,0494
Commodification #2NRs-,23,0766
Healthcare Autonomy #2NCs-,16,10101
NRs-,24,0566
Patienthood #2EQs,23,1051
Last updated June 6, 2023

To explore our findings in detail, download the application and complete the lessons!

More findings will be released once a statistically significant number of entries has been submitted and we have sufficiently analyzed the data. Every new answer helps to improve the results. Already, we have hundreds of registered users from 48 countries; these are shown below.

Last updated May 22, 2023

Update sign-up

If you wish to stay up to date on the experimental and/or in-app research attached to MyBioethics you can write your email address in the field below to get semi-annual updates and occasional invites to virtual presentations. All previous update posts can be found below. You can ask to be removed from the email list at any time.

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Our warmest thanks!

We want to express our warmest thanks to all our research collaborators. You can also review our team, advisors, and sponsors here.

Existential Quest
Need for Affect
Need for Cognition
Nature Relatedness
Life Orientation