
Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior (2012) - colinprince
https://www.pnas.org/content/109/11/4086?phpMyAdmin=cfc2644bd9c947213a0141747c2608b0
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the_duke
Oh boy. Very trustworthy "science" right here.

There are so many problems with this...

Study 5+7: online survey via _Mechanical Turk_ (n=90/108) _really_?

Study 6: online survey via Craigslist ad, voucher reward

Study 3+4: survey with _undergrad students_ (n=120/150)

Studies 1+2: rating behaviour of about 200 drivers at an intersection

* Not even a definition for social class or ethical behaviour.

* "Social class" was assigned via self-ranking or car value, both very problematic.

* Almost no numbers or info on methodology.

* Online surveys with self ranking for social class, and via paid Mechanical Turk participants or Craigslist ad with vouchers are sure to give a very accurate and representative sample with "higher class" individuals...

* In 1+2, very low n considering how easy data collection would be. Driver age and gender were ostensibly controlled for, but I'm doubtful this was done properly.

The hypothesis might very well be true, but this "research" is about as
valuable as a tabloid opinion piece.

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alexgmcm
Yeah, I'm sure it'll get plenty of citations though and in modern science
that's the figure of merit.

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cryptica
The irony of it is that when you consider the reality of increasing wealth
inequality (and the power imbalances that this creates), the claims made by
the article are consistent with the ethical degradation of modern science and
business in general.

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emsign
Another researcher has discovered soon after problems with that publications
p-value.

    
    
      Evidence that publication bias contaminated studies relating social class and unethical behavior
    

[https://www.pnas.org/content/109/25/E1587](https://www.pnas.org/content/109/25/E1587)

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glutamate
Here's a later study from different authors that replicates but also refines
these findings:
[https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspi0000008](https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspi0000008)

> Replicating past work, social class positively predicted unethical behavior;
> however, this relationship was only observed when that behavior was self-
> beneficial. When unethical behavior was performed to benefit others, social
> class negatively predicted unethical behavior; lower class individuals were
> more likely than upper class individuals to engage in unethical behavior.
> Overall, social class predicts people’s tendency to behave selfishly, rather
> than predicting unethical behavior per se.

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nordsieck
Study 1 + 2

> As vehicles are reliable indicators of a person's social rank and wealth
> (15), we used observers’ codes of vehicle status (make, age, and appearance)
> to index drivers’ social class.

Study 3

> Participants also reported their social class using the MacArthur scale of
> subjective SES [1].

Study 4

> Participants experienced either a low or high relative social-class rank by
> comparing themselves to people with the most (least) money, most (least)
> education, and most (least) respected jobs. Participants also rated their
> position in the socioeconomic hierarchy relative to people at the very top
> or bottom. This induction primes subjective perceptions of relatively high
> or low social-class rank.

Study 5

> Participants also reported their social class using the MacArthur scale

Study 6

> Participants also completed the measures of social class and attitudes
> toward greed that we used in study 5.

Study 7

> Participants also reported their social class using the previously described
> MacArthur measure.

___

1\.
[https://macses.ucsf.edu/research/psychosocial/subjective.php](https://macses.ucsf.edu/research/psychosocial/subjective.php)

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chrisseaton
What does 'upper class' mean to the authors?

To me, 'upper class' means something like an international billionaire, or a
member of a European aristocracy, someone with considerable social influence,
something like that.

Here it seems to mean someone driving a new car?!

~~~
doubletgl
For the study with cars at an intersection, they simply used the model and
make of the cars, so an old toyota vs. a new mercedes for example would be on
opposite ends of the spectrum.

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badpun
The problem with that is, plenty of wealthy people drive mundane or even
frugal cars. I'm guessing that the need to drive a flashy car can correlate
with being an asshole much more strongly than wealth.

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gojomo
This tiny-sample study [Piff 2012] hasn't held up strongly in attempts to
confirm/replicate:

[https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1053175632568442880](https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1053175632568442880)

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theqult
Why there is reference to PhpMyAdmin in the url ? It sounds like an old good
vulnerability

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TomMckenny
Since higher position in a social structure always means better treatment by
the judicial system, it should be expected that the reduced deterrent would
result in more bad behavior.

~~~
jdc
Your point is well-taken, but _always_ is a stretch.

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TomMckenny
True, one should always avoid the word "always". But given that the world just
saw a Senate trial of a nations highest ranking member occur with no witness
and no evidence allowed, the claim remains pretty strong.

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sysbin
I assume the free will ideology creates unethical behaviour by the outcome of
creating justification towards social stratification. Then we get falsehood
excuses for materialism and judgement & punishment of the less privileged. The
higher social class ends up being delusional to reality.

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dlwdlw
All behavior is selfish. Each level is supported by the lower level. Upper
class has a smaller support of semi-elites below them they must appease. Many
things are zero-sum so most actions at this level take from the majority for
the minority. Thus unethical behavior baked into hierarchy.

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collyw
>All behavior is selfish.

That's highly debatable. A child would be incapable of survival in its first
few years of life if it weren't for the love of its mother. I guess your
response to that will be that it's selfish genes to which I don't really have
a counter response.

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keiferski
Extremely disappointing that a scientific paper makes proclamations about
ethics without even defining what "unethical" means. This is really missing
the forest for the trees, especially considering that numerous philosophers
have argued that traditional Christian morality (which led to current
conceptions of democratic morality) is itself a morality of the lower classes.
In that case, it's almost inevitable that higher social classes would be
unethical according to the lower classes.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master–slave_morality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master–slave_morality)

I should add that I don't necessarily buy this argument, but I do think that
scientists conducting experiments involving morality should be aware of the
field's history of thought.

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stdbrouw
> numerous philosophers have argued

Friedrich Nietzsche is not "numerous philosophers".

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knolax
How does one even define "Traditional Christian Morality?". It's in no way a
monolithic religion. Even within the same denomination you can go from Jesus
to Saint Olga for your definition of "moral".

The more I read Nietzsche the more glad I am that I live in a society that
does not greatly value philosophy.

~~~
goto11
> The more I read Nietzsche the more glad I am that I live in a society that
> does not greatly value philosophy.

Your society still values some philosophies, even if you happen to be ignorant
about where they come from. It just makes it harder for you to understand and
question them.

The people who have chosen your philosophy for you probably don't want you to
recognize it as a philosophy. They want you to see it as "common sense", "the
real world", "the natural order of things", "my guts" or something like that.

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say_it_as_it_is
PNAS resorting to buzzfeedy, click bait faux research.

