Previous research has shown that moral choice depends on language, a phenomenon known as the moral foreign language effect (mFLE). The current study examines the influence of social distance on the mFLE. In Experiment 1, 200 participants were randomly assigned to either close or distant social distance in English or Chinese. In Experiment 2, 188 participants were randomly assigned to either English or Chinese and were presented with eight moral dilemmas, each with five different levels of social distance. After reading the dilemma, participants made a choice on a binary scale (Yes/No) in both Experiments 1 and 2 or on a more sensitive 100-point scale in Experiment 2. The results showed that the mFLE was present in distant social distance but absent in close social distance. Finally, a meta-analysis of the results from both studies confirmed the effect of social distance on the mFLE. These findings demonstrate that social distance might play an important role in moderating the mFLE in moral judgment.

先前的研究表明，道德选择取决于语言，这种现象被称为道德外语效应（mFLE）。目前的研究探讨了社交距离对 mFLE 的影响。在实验 1 中，200 名参与者被随机分配到英语或汉语的近距离或远距离社交组。在实验 2 中，188 名参与者被随机分配到英语组或中文组，并面临八个道德困境，每个困境有五个不同的社交距离级别。读完这个困境后，参与者在实验 1 和 2 中都以二元量表（是/否）做出选择，或者在实验 2 中以更敏感的 100 分量表做出选择。结果表明，mFLE 存在于较远的社交距离中，但在近距离的社交距离中缺席。最后，对两项研究结果的荟萃分析证实了社交距离对 mFLE 的影响。这些发现表明，社交距离可能在调节道德判断中的 mFLE 方面发挥重要作用。