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Center for Language Science Speaker Series

Friday, February 14, 2025
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
Center for Language Science Speaker Series
“How Language Impacts Moral-Decision Making in Social Settings”

In this talk, Susanne Brouwer will present findings from a series of studies examining how moral decision-making is influenced by the use of a foreign language in social settings. While previous research on the “Foreign Language Effect” (e.g., Costa et al., 2014) has shown that individuals' moral choices can vary depending on whether dilemmas are framed in their native or a foreign language, these studies often lack ecological validity, as they do not account for the complex dynamics of real-world social settings. Her research addresses this gap by employing a multimethod approach, including behavioral experiments, eye-tracking, and virtual reality, to explore how individuals navigate moral dilemmas in multilingual, face-to-face interactions, such as those encountered in international settings like the European Union. This work contributes to a more nuanced understanding of moral decision-making in diverse linguistic environments.

Headshot of Susanne Brouwer
Headshot of Susanne Brouwer
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library