Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 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
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

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).
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Read Now

About The Author

Jillian J. Jordan

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • November 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Inclusion and Diversity at Mars Petcare

    By: Katherine Baldiga Coffman, Jillian J. Jordan and Emma Ronzetti
    • September 2023
    • Trends in Cognitive Sciences

    A Pull versus Push Framework for Reputation

    By: Jillian J. Jordan
    • July 11, 2023
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    How Reputation Does (and Does Not) Drive People to Punish Without Looking

    By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily
More from the Authors
  • Inclusion and Diversity at Mars Petcare By: Katherine Baldiga Coffman, Jillian J. Jordan and Emma Ronzetti
  • A Pull versus Push Framework for Reputation By: Jillian J. Jordan
  • How Reputation Does (and Does Not) Drive People to Punish Without Looking By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College