Research Paper on:
Emotional Processing in Decision-Making: A Research Study Proposal

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including emotional processing, influence decisions and how these are defined within a social perspective. Assessments of emotional processing, from traditional views of emotional expression to the theories of men  like William James, have been utilized to promote observational assessment of emotional processing relative to decision-making. This study proposal outlines the best approach for addressing the impact that emotional  processing has in moral decision-making, with a focus on the representations in the current literature. Background Literature In a September, 2001, article in Science journal, Laura Helmuth reported on  the emerging connections being made between moral reasoning and the reliance on emotions. In particular, Helmuth (2001) considered the impact that emotions play in shaping the way individuals make  choices. In an example provided by Helmuth, the researcher considered the choice of saving individuals who were trapped in a trolley car, about to plunge off a cliff (Helmuth,  2001). One individual could save all of the people in the trolley car, simply by hitting a switch and diverting the car to another track, where one individual stood  (Helmuth, 2001). That one person would be killed, but all of the others on the trolley would live. Helmuth argued that most would choose to sacrifice the  life of one individual for the greater good, for the lives of all the others on the trolley (Helmuth, 2001). But if the same individual was asked to choose  to push the bulky body of one living individual onto the existing track to stop the trolley, that choice would appear barbaric and most individuals would not see that as  an ethical option (Helmuth, 2001). What makes such a difference in these cases? What if the person who would be killed was a loved one? Would the