How Can It Be Wrong (When It Feels So Right)?: Ethical Decision Making and New Technology

In this study, 663 participants, both undergraduates and professionals, were asked to indicate their ethical judgment of, and behavioral intention regarding, 34 behaviors utilizing new technology. The authors found partial support for all hypotheses: as age increased behaviors were judged as being more unethical and participants reported that they were less likely to engage in the behaviors; professionals judged behaviors as being more unethical than students and reported they were less likely to engage in the behaviors than students; females judged behaviors as being more unethical than males and reported that they were less likely to engage in the behaviors than males; and participants indicated that they were more likely to engage in behaviors than would be suggested by their ethical judgment of those behaviors. The findings are important for developing codes of conduct, laws, and training programs that will lead to greater ethical behavior using new technology.