Abstract
In this talk, I propose using Signal Detection Theory as a conceptual framework for understanding behavioral ethics. I outline the general conceptualization of the framework, emphasizing its central aspects: perception and decision bias, as well as the roles of probability, incentives, and experience. Building on this foundation, I apply the framework to reinterpret ethical dissonance and illustrate the ways to represent central justification mechanisms, including blind spots, grey areas, norms, and the pendulum dynamic of moral cleansing and moral licensing. Finally, I demonstrate how the signal detection framework extends existing research by providing a novel approach to conceptualizing and studying the effects of external enforcement. Drawing on prior work relating signal detection to risk, I discuss the expected influences of the probability vs. the intensity of incentive systems on ethical behavior.

Bio
Rachel Barkan is a Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Her research focuses on decision-making and biases, modeling preferences, the dynamics between choice and advice, as well as behavioral ethics and moral judgment. 

Please remember to registrer if you want to participate.