Development of Experimental Materials on Moral Judgment in Sport: Evidence From Chinese Athletes

Abstract

Objectives: The existing scales for moral judgment in sport have some limitations when used for cognitive neural research. Developing a set of experimental materials with good validity is thus warranted. The purpose of this study was to develop experimental materials that can be used in cognitive neuroscience research on moral judgment in sport.Design: Study 1 was a qualitative study and Study 2 used a within-subject design. Method:In Study 1, a qualitative method was adopted to assess types of moral misconduct among Chinese athletes, based on news reports of Chinese athletes' moral misconduct collected from the Internet and from interviews with Chinese elite athletes. In Study 2, typical examples were selected from a qualitative analysis based on the types of moral misconduct observed among athletes in Study 1. The examples were then compiled, controlled, and modified. The validity of the developed experimental materials was evaluated. Results:The moral misconduct observed in Chinese athletes can be divided into the following four categories: violent behavior, doping, match-fixing or tanking, and self-reported dishonesty. Subject analysis and item analysis consistently found that the experimental materials developed for moral judgment based on the four categories were significantly different in six aspects, including the rate of participants' agreement to the proposed resolution [F Subject(3, 184) = 236.60, p = 0.00; F Item(3, 156) = 471.17, p = 0.00], decision time [F Subject(3, 184) = 23.69, p = 0.00; F Item(3, 156) = 3.13, p = 0.03], moral conflict [F Subject(3, 184) = 3.70, p = 0.01; F Item(3, 156) = 10.71, p = 0.00], moral acceptability of the behavior [F Subject(3, 184) = 58.22, p = 0.00; F Item(3, 156) = 110.69, p = 0.00], emotional valence [F Subject(3, 184) = 3.41, p = 0.02; F Item(3, 156) = 3.11, p = 0.03], and emotional arousal [F Subject(3, 184) = 1.32, p = 0.27; F Item(3, 156) = 5.09, p = 0.00]. The experimental materials developed were not affected by the type of sport. Conclusions:The developed experimental materials can be used as experimental materials for cognitive neuroscience research on moral judgment in sport.

Integration of Moral Self-Discipline in Sports Management: Cultivating Future-Ready Students through Sports Education Program in Physical Education

“…The moral judgement in sports is basically the method of thought process that happens whenever an athlete or sports participant uses existing moral norms or societal standards to a perceive moral phenomena in sports which is considered to be psychologically complex (Wang & Chen, 2018). However, there are moral misconduct among Chinese athletes categorized as violent behavior, doping, match fixing, and self-reported dishonesty regardless of the type of sport (Chen & Wang, 2019). The moral misconduct is linked to lack of systematic and comprehensive organization of the importance of integrating self-discipline and appreciating moral conduct in the context of sports.…”