The Interaction of Affective Dispositions, Moral Judgments, and Intentionality in Assessing Narrative Characters: Rationalist and Intuitionist Sequences

摘要

Several theories, including disposition-based theories, depend on moral judgments about narrative characters' actions to describe how audiences understand characters in media narratives. However, more needs to be known about how moral judgments about characters' actions are made and affective dispositions toward characters are formed and change as a story unfolds. There is evidence that the intentionality underlying a character's actions is an important judgment that audiences use to understand a character's actions. We propose two sequences: a rationalist sequence in which perceived intentionality of a character's actions informs moral judgments and affective dispositions, and an intuitionist sequence in which affective dispositions are determined first and moral and intentionality judgments are made congruent with that judgment. Implications for narrative theories are discussed.