文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Revisiting the moral foreign language effect: The interplay of cognitive control, emotional distress and victim vulnerability in bilingual moral judgment

作者：Hou, Yanan[1];Jiang, Yong[1];Xie, Wanying[3];Li, Dingyi[4];Huang, Yan[2]

机构：[1]Shanghai Int Studies Univ, Inst Language Sci, Shanghai, Peoples R China;[2]East China Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Foreign Languages, Shanghai, Peoples R China;[3]Shanghai Jian Qiao Univ, Coll Foreign Languages, Shanghai, Peoples R China;[4]Shanghai Int Studies Univ, Sch English Studies, Shanghai, Peoples R China

年份：2026

外文期刊名：BILINGUALISM-LANGUAGE AND COGNITION

收录：;WOS:【SSCI(收录号:WOS:001687024700001)】；

基金：This work was supported by the National Social Science Fund Youth Project [25CYY080].

语种：英文

外文关键词：moral foreign language effect; bilingualism; victim vulnerability; cognitive control; emotional distress

摘要：The moral foreign language effect (MFLE) suggests that using a second language promotes utilitarian moral decisions, though its robustness and underlying mechanisms remain debated. This study investigated the MFLE and its potential moderators, including cognitive control, emotional distress and contextual variability (operationalized as victim vulnerability through narrative cues signaling physical fragility), among 255 Chinese-English bilinguals who judged moral dilemmas in either their native or second language. Contrary to prior findings, no significant MFLE emerged, nor did cognitive control or emotional distress alone moderate moral judgments. In contrast, victim vulnerability showed a robust main effect, with higher vulnerability increasing utilitarian responses. Moreover, this effect interacted with emotional distress: it was pronounced under low distress but diminished under high distress. These findings challenge the generalizability of the MFLE and highlight the pivotal influence of emotional and contextual factors, particularly emotional arousal and perceived victim vulnerability, on moral judgments across languages.