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2024.10.7
NGP SPECIAL OVERSEAS TRAINING REPORT
As a participant in the NGP Special Overseas Training program, I had the opportunity to visit the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in summer 2024. Under the guidance of Professor Wei Wang from the Department of Psychology, I engaged in academic and scientific activities aimed at advancing my research on moral decision-making. This overseas training allowed me to gain significant insights into my research, explore collaborative opportunities, and experience European cultures in person. In this report, I will share some interesting experience and results on my oversea training.
My research topic is about decision-making in moral dilemmas, like the trolley problem. In my previous research, I have identified several factors that affect the difficulty perception of moral decisions. And my next goal was to investigate the correlated personality traits to explain the individual differences of preferences in moral decisions. For example, in the trolley problem, some people prefer utilitarian ways of thinking that saving more lives is the correct choice while some prefer deontological ways of thinking that nothing justifies the act of killing an innocent person. My goal was to see if any personality traits is correlated with the preference in moral dilemmas and to explore possible underlying mechanisms.
Before traveling to Norway, I have introduced my research project to Prof.Wei and we thoroughly discussed on some improvements. Prof.Wei is an expert in the field of personality dysfunction. He provided precious advice on the personality scales that I could use to find a lead. After confirming the paradigm with my supervisor, I conducted the experimental phase of my research in Japan, collecting behavioral data from participants as they responded to various moral dilemmas. My discussions with Prof.Wei prior to the trip led to the integration of new personality scales into the research protocol. These scales were designed to measure certain personality traits that might influence moral decision-making, allowing me to test how these traits correlate with cognitive and emotional responses during the decision-making process.
I arrived at Norway after a long and tiring flight. It was my first time in northern Europe and the weather in late summer was very pleasing. By late August, the season for midnight sun has ended and the temperature was like 20 degrees, much cooler than the terrible heat in Japan. I can’t speak Norwegian at all, but it was good to know that almost everyone at Norway speaks some English. I found my accommodation in the NTNU student village, with a roommate from Italy who was also there for an oversea training program. So I made my first friend even before visiting the university. The university sets in the city of Trondheim, a small and quiet city in the middle area of Norway. The city is so small that I can just walk around the city center in about 30 minutes. Away from center, it’s just houses and supermarkets where everyone move around by car and there is like only 2 or 3 bus every hour. Fortunately the student village is quite close to supermarkets and bus stops, I can pay 43 krone (about 600 yen) to freely take any bus for one and half hour.
Upon arriving at NTNU, I received a warm welcome from Prof.Wei with immediate access to unlimited free coffee in the leisure room. Wei nicely showed me around the campus and said that anyone new here will surely get lost, and he was right. The Dragvoll campus consists of many blocks of small buildings connected together with rain shed, so the whole building kind of looks like the arcade in Japan, or like a warm house. The blocks all look similar and the posters on the walls get changed frequently, what even makes it worse is that the campus sets on a small slope so it’s also difficult to figure out which floor I’m on. I didn’t learn to get around until the end of the first week.
After settling down, I had extensive discussions with Professor Wang regarding data analysis techniques. We reviewed the data I had collected in Japan and explored how specific personality traits correlated with certain parameters in moral decision-making. Under the instruction of Prof.Wei, I learned new analysis methods with R programming, which is better at dealing with individual differences and returned some intriguing results. In a total number of 13 personality traits, 3 were found to be significantly correlated with the decision-making processes in moral dilemma.
In addition to these technical discussions, we also discussed about future collaborations between our labs. Moral decision-making is also a very popular topic in psychology and has been reported to be closely related to personality traits and dysfunctions. The new findings in the current project and the professional knowledge from psychological expert inspired us with tons of intriguing ideas and we were both interested in a cross-cultural study investigating how different cultural backgrounds shape people’s preferences in moral dilemmas. After summarizing the current results and submitting to a journal, we are both looking forward to starting the discussion on our next potential project.
During my stay, Professor Wang and I not only focused on the immediate goals of data analysis and interpretation but also spent considerable time discussing potential future collaborations between our laboratories. One of the most exciting outcomes of these discussions was the idea of a cross-cultural comparative study on moral decision-making and personality. Given that I had collected data from a Japanese cohort and Professor Wang has access to participants in Norway, both of our laboratories expressed interest in comparing these datasets to explore how cultural differences influence moral decisions. This potential project is especially intriguing because moral decision-making is deeply influenced by cultural norms and values, and a comparative study could shed light on how these factors interact with personality traits.
Aside from these research activities, I also talked to many student groups at NTNU. I was very impressed by the active atmosphere in the campus. Despite of its location away from the center of Trondheim, the campus is very vigorous with different student groups setting up booths almost everyday. Students spontaneously organize seminars or parties to introduce their subject or their concerns for current affairs. They are very generous with free coffee and bread to catch passing students and draw them into small talks. The environment at NTNU encouraged open dialogue and collaborative thinking, also providing fresh contents almost every day.
I also had the chance to explore the country’s stunning natural landscapes. Norway is renowned for its spectacular scenery, and I was fortunate to visit some of its most famous landmarks, such as the Geiranger Fjord and the Nordkapp. The fjords are carved by glaciers during the Ice Age. Stretching along Norway's western coast, these deep, narrow inlets are surrounded by towering mountains, waterfalls, and lush greenery. Nordkapp, which means the north cape in Norwegian, is the northmost point of European continent, the breathtaking cliffs facing the Barent Sea is an exclusive view at Norway.
In conclusion, my participation in the NGP Special Overseas Training program at NTNU was an incredibly rewarding experience. The learnings and discussions during my stay in Norway have significantly advanced my research project and help me acquire new skills in analysis and precious experience in international communication. I also had the great opportunity to experience the unique culture and lifestyle of northern Europe. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the NGP program for making it possible. It was a most unforgettable experience that I will carry with me throughout my career.
October 7, 2024
Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Department of Human Brain Science, D4
Liu Yu
