What does "moral psychology" explore?

Moral psychology primarily focuses on the cognitive processes involved in moral decision-making. This field examines how individuals think about moral issues, the reasoning they employ when faced with ethical dilemmas, and how emotions and social influences impact their moral judgments. It seeks to understand the mental mechanisms behind why people make certain moral choices and how their beliefs, values, and reasoning influence those decisions.

While societal norms, biological bases, and legal implications are important areas of study within ethics and human behavior, they do not capture the core focus of moral psychology as effectively as cognitive processes do. The exploration of how individuals navigate ethical scenarios through their cognitive frameworks is central to understanding moral psychology.