Individual Differences in Interpretations of Justified and Unjustified Violence

摘要

This study examines the impact and interaction of individual differences in personality, empathic style, ethical position, and trait violence sensitivity on perceptions of violence in a "justified" or "unjustified" video clip. Undergraduate students (n = 229) were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 groups (Video Order × Justification). Participants rated the justified clip as less violent, even though both videos depicted the same scene. Differences in violence severity ratings for the unjustified video condition were found between Violence Sensitive and Tolerant trait groups only when the Tolerant participants saw the video prior to completing the survey. This implies that violence sensitivity may have a set point for an individual, but the sensitivity is malleable if primed to consider ethics and empathy first. Further implications on the impact of internal individual differences and external cues on a person's perception of violence are discussed, particularly in regards to criminal justice and violence sensitivity training.