The Psychometric Lab at the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) at the University of Granada has adapted and validated the Spanish version of the scale of Moral Attention, based on the original Moral Attentiveness Scale developed by Reynolds (2008).
Moral attention is defined as a person's predisposition to attach a moral component to everyday experiences. It is a proactive process that involves actively perceiving the environment in moral terms, even when there is no explicit ethical dilemma.
In certain cases, this predisposition can lead to attributing moral connotations to situations that are not necessarily moral. As a result, some people may feel more frequently exposed to moral conflicts and ethical decision-making processes. Understanding these individual differences is particularly relevant, as this repeated experience of moral evaluation could have implications for well-being and mental health.
The aim of the study was to adapt the Moral Attention Scale linguistically and culturally and analyse its psychometric properties in the Spanish population. The process included translation and adaptation by experts in the phenomenon of interest and in psychometrics. Subsequently, the adapted version was administered to a sample to assess its reliability and various evidence of validity. On the one hand, validity based on internal structure was assessed, i.e., whether the items are organised and grouped as proposed in the original theoretical model. On the other hand, its relationship with other psychosocial variables was analysed, checking whether the scale is consistently associated with theoretically related constructs, such as empathy or concern for social justice.
The results confirm that the structure of the scale in the Spanish population, as in the original version, is organised into two main dimensions:
- Perceptive Attention, referring to the tendency to identify moral signals in the environment.
- Reflective Attention, linked to the tendency to meditate and consciously process moral experiences.
Furthermore, analysis of the evidence based on the relationship with other variables showed a pattern consistent with theory-based predictions. The scale was associated with constructs such as concern for social justice, the welfare of the most vulnerable, and higher levels of empathy and compassion. At the same time, it was not related to adopting a specific type of decision when faced with a moral dilemma.
Having a valid and reliable tool for assessing moral attention allows us to gain a deeper understanding of how people perceive, interpret, and process the moral dimension of their environment. This not only contributes to the theoretical advancement of moral psychology, but also facilitates the study of its relationship with social behaviour, decision-making, and psychological well-being.
The adaptation of the scale to the Spanish context also encourages future research in educational, organisational and clinical settings, promoting a more contextualised and evidence-based understanding of human behaviour.
Reference
Carrascal-Caputto, B., Galván-Hernández, D., & Benítez, I. (2025). Adaptation and validation of the spanish version of the moral attentiveness scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 247, 113407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113407
Contact
Belén Carrascal Caputto - bcarrascal@ugr.es