INTEGRATIVE EXPLORATION OF MORAL JUDGEMENT: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE DUAL THOUGHT PROCESS?

Dual thought process is a central model in cognitive psychology.It determines two distinct cognitive systems to process information."System 1" is fast, automatic, intuitive and emotional."System 2" is slower, deliberative, analytical and logical.This dual thought process model has found applications in many areas, including the area of moral judgement.The duality of thought in moral judgement was objectified through psychological and neuroscientific methodology and determines two distinct processes: a first automatic, rapid affective process corresponding to deontology and emotionally motivated heuristics, and a second slow, laborious deliberative process corresponding to utilitarianism and rationality.These two processes are associated with functional activations of distinct brain regions/networks, highlighting a neurofunctional signature linked with psychological facts.We carried out a PRISMA literature review in order to explore the operationality of this link by identifying its neuroarchitectural and neurodevelopmental bases.We used APA search databases Psycinfos/psycnets, PubMed and Embase/Science Direct, with the keywords 'moral judgement' or 'moral dilemma' and 'dual process', from 2001 to publications of May 2023, in general population.Initially, 959 heterogeneous references were found, and from these, we led a selection process resulting in 16 final references.We found that a complex neuroarchitectural base supports the systems and involves different networks that activate and/or inhibit depending on the characteristics of the moral stimuli.This base has a chronological development and is linked to neurodevelopmental skills (theory of mind, moral emotions, maturation of executive functions including inhibitory control and memory).The latter are: at the origin of functionalities like perspective of justice/ prosocial behavior, react to situational factors in the moral stimulus, and mediate variabilities in the production of moral judgements.The limits of the model to be taken into account are cultural, conceptual and methodological.Thus, the duality of moral judgement appears to be integrative and relevant, and in this context, attention should be paid to neurodevelopmental status and to neurofunctional investigation tools to improve future research methodologies.