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What are punishment and reputation for?
Max M Krasnow1, Leda Cosmides, Eric J Pedersen
1Center for Evolutionary Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA. max.krasnow@gmail.com
Plos One
|October 11, 2012
Summary
Human punishment and reputation evolved for personal gain, not group norms. Individuals use reputation strategically to avoid losses and direct cooperation towards those they have punished, benefiting themselves.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- The evolutionary origins of human punishment and reputation use are debated.
- Theories suggest these evolved either for group norm maintenance or personal gain in cooperation.
- Existing data support both hypotheses, necessitating further testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test rival predictions of social exchange theory and group norm maintenance theory.
- To determine the primary driver behind the evolution of punishment and reputation in humans.
- To investigate the behavioral logic underlying the deployment of punishment.
Main Methods:
- Experimental design comparing subject behavior under conditions predicted by rival theories.
- Analysis of how individuals utilize reputation and punishment in social exchanges.
- Observational study of cooperative efforts directed towards punished versus unpunished defectors.
Main Results:
- Subject behavior consistently matched social exchange theory predictions and violated group norm maintenance theory predictions.
- Reputation is used self-beneficially as an indicator of defection risk, not solely to punish norm violators.
- Cooperative efforts are preferentially directed towards defectors who have been punished, not those posing risks only to others.
Conclusions:
- The psychology of punishment did not evolve primarily to uphold group norms.
- Evidence supports the hypothesis that punishment evolved through psychological mechanisms benefiting the individual punisher.
- Punishment serves as a tool for bargaining and securing better treatment in social exchanges.
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01:21Operant Conditioning
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01:23Reinforcement
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01:08Timing and Consequences on Behavior
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01:21Behavior Modification
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03:20The Stanford Prison Experiment
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