Stand up to Action: The Postural Effect on Deontological Responding and the Boundary Condition of Dual Processing

Previous studies have suggested that individuals have greater control over their cognitive processing when standing up than when sitting down. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that individuals would be less deontological when standing rather than sitting based on the dual process morality theory. The hypothesized postural effect was verified in a field study (Study 1) and replicated in an experimental study (Study 2), while dismissed when participants made moral decisions with a dual task to increase cognitive load (Study 3) and reversed when participants made moral decisions after deliberate consideration of the sacrificial proposal (Study 4). Meta-analyses confirmed the stability of the postural effect and dual processings moderating role on the postural effect. The present research supports and extends the dual process morality theory by confirming that body posture can affect moral decision-making, and also offers a novel evidence confirming that dual processing is a boundary condition for embodiment effects. "