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Reward, punishment, and cooperation: a meta-analysis
Daniel Balliet1, Laetitia B Mulder, Paul A M Van Lange
1School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University. dp.balliet@psy.vu.nl
Psychological Bulletin
|May 18, 2011
Summary
Rewards and punishments effectively promote cooperation in social dilemmas. Their impact is amplified when incentives are costly and punishments are used in ongoing group interactions, according to a meta-analysis.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Game Theory
Background:
- Social dilemmas involve conflicts between self-interest and collective well-being.
- Rewards and punishments are proposed incentives for cooperation, but their effectiveness and moderators are debated.
- Existing research lacks a comprehensive theoretical and quantitative review of these incentives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of rewards and punishments in promoting cooperation in social dilemmas.
- To identify variables that moderate the impact of these incentives.
- To propose a novel interdependence-theoretic framework for understanding incentives in social dilemmas.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of 187 effect sizes was conducted.
- The study utilized a novel interdependence-theoretic framework.
- Potential moderators such as incentive cost, source, and dilemma structure were examined.
Main Results:
- Both rewards and punishments positively impacted cooperation (d = 0.51 and 0.70, respectively), with statistically equivalent effects.
- Incentive effectiveness increased when they were costly to administer.
- Punishments were more effective in iterated dilemmas with consistent group membership.
Conclusions:
- Rewards and punishments are significant tools for fostering cooperation in social dilemmas.
- The cost of incentives and the structure of interaction (e.g., iterated vs. one-shot) significantly influence their effectiveness.
- Findings have implications for theoretical development and future research on social behavior and cooperation.
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