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  • December 2019
  • Article
  • Cognition

When Do We Punish People Who Don't?

By: Justin W. Martin, Jillian J. Jordan, David G. Rand and Fiery Cushman
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Abstract

People often punish norm violations. In what cases is such punishment viewed as normative—a behavior that we “should”or even“must”engage in? We approach this question by asking when people who fail to punish a norm violator are, themselves, punished. (For instance, a boss who fails to punish transgressive employees might,herself, befired.) We conducted experiments exploring the contexts in which higher-order punishment occurs, using both incentivized economic games and hypothetical vignettes describing everyday situations. We presented participants with cases in which an individual fails to punish a transgressor, either as a victim (second party) or as an observer (third party). Across studies, we consistently observed higher-order punishment of non-punishing observers. Higher-order punishment of non-punishing victims, however, was consistently weaker, and sometimes non-existent. These results demonstrate the selective application of higher-order punishment, provide a new perspective on the psychological mechanisms that support it, and provide some clues regarding itsfunction.

Keywords

Punishment; Norms; Cooperation; Societal Protocols; Adaptation

Citation

Martin, Justin W., Jillian J. Jordan, David G. Rand, and Fiery Cushman. "When Do We Punish People Who Don't?" Cognition 193 (December 2019).
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About The Author

Jillian J. Jordan

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • March 2023
    • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

    Giving-by-proxy Triggers Subsequent Charitable Behavior

    By: Samantha Kassirer, Jillian J. Jordan and Maryam Kouchaki
    • October 2022
    • Current Opinion in Psychology

    When Does Moral Engagement Risk Triggering a Hypocrite Penalty?

    By: Jillian J. Jordan and Roseanna Sommers
    • 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Punishing Without Looking for Reputational Gain

    By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily
More from the Authors
  • Giving-by-proxy Triggers Subsequent Charitable Behavior By: Samantha Kassirer, Jillian J. Jordan and Maryam Kouchaki
  • When Does Moral Engagement Risk Triggering a Hypocrite Penalty? By: Jillian J. Jordan and Roseanna Sommers
  • Punishing Without Looking for Reputational Gain By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily
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