
Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) and its accompanying Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ-1) stimulated a large body of research. A revised version (MFQ-2) was recently released, aimed at improving validity. We report three studies testing this new instrument. Study 1 (N = 809) validated the six-foundation structure of the MFQ in U.K. subjects. Study 2 verified this model in independent U.S. data (N = 835). The MFQ-2 was also validated against eighteen external criteria (such as religiosity and left- and right-wing authoritarianism). Finally, in Study 3, subjects were recontacted after seven months to test the reliability of the MFQ-2. All foundations demonstrated acceptable reliability (ω-t = 0.79 to 0.92). Studies 1 and 2 broadly support the six-foundation structure, with well-fitting item-level models closely matching the proposed structure of the MFQ-2. Group factors of individualizing and group were needed. A nuance is that the Loyalty foundation was split into separate factors for Loyalty to a group and a nation. The MFQ-2 demonstrated good reliability and high validity, predicting 17 out of 18 external-validity scales at statistically significant and substantive levels. The MFQ-2 reliably and validly assesses moral foundations, with improved properties over its predecessor.
Moral Foundations Theory, mutualism, purity, compassion, cooperation, fairness, proportionality, egalitarianism, care, authority, loyalty, harm
Moral Foundations Theory, mutualism, purity, compassion, cooperation, fairness, proportionality, egalitarianism, care, authority, loyalty, harm
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