Rephrasing research of behavioral ethics with Signal Detection Theory
Talk by Rachel Barkan, Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Info about event
Time
Location
AIAS, building 1630, room 301
Join us for a mid-day talk by Rachel Barkan, Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and learn more about Signal Detection Theory. The talk is hosted by AIAS and organized by AIAS-PIREAU Fellow Panagiotis Mitkidis, Professor at the Department of Management, Aarhus University.
Abstract
In this talk, I propose using Signal Detection Theory as a conceptual framework for understanding behavioral ethics. I outline the general conceptualization of the framework, emphasizing its central aspects: perception and decision bias, as well as the roles of probability, incentives, and experience. Building on this foundation, I apply the framework to reinterpret ethical dissonance and illustrate the ways to represent central justification mechanisms, including blind spots, grey areas, norms, and the pendulum dynamic of moral cleansing and moral licensing. Finally, I demonstrate how the signal detection framework extends existing research by providing a novel approach to conceptualizing and studying the effects of external enforcement. Drawing on prior work relating signal detection to risk, I discuss the expected influences of the probability vs. the intensity of incentive systems on ethical behavior.
Bio
Rachel Barkan is a Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Her research focuses on decision-making and biases, modeling preferences, the dynamics between choice and advice, as well as behavioral ethics and moral judgment.
Participation
The talk is open to all and free of charge. Please register here to participate.
Want to join online? Contact kamilla@aias.au.dk. A Zoom link will be sent out prior to the talk.
Organiser
Panagiotis Mitkidis, Professor at the Department of Management, Aarhus University.
E-mail: pm@aias.au.dk