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The importance of demonstratively restoring order
Kees Keizer1, Siegwart Lindenberg, Linda Steg
1Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. k.e.keizer@rug.nl
Plos One
|June 12, 2013
Summary
Seeing order restored, not just present, is the most effective way to encourage people to follow social norms. This finding highlights how observing respect for norms can spread prosocial behavior in public spaces.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Traditional assumptions suggest environmental order strongly influences normative behavior.
- However, the impact of observing norm enforcement on prosocial behavior remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of normative cues on civic virtues.
- To determine whether observing order restoration or mere order presence has a greater impact on encouraging prosocial behavior.
Main Methods:
- Three field experiments were conducted to examine the effect of normative cues on civic virtues.
- The study focused on observing the restoration of physical order as a cue for normative respect.
Main Results:
- Observing order being restored significantly increased adherence to prosocial norms in public places, more so than simply observing order.
- This effect was robust and surprisingly large, indicating that witnessing respect for one norm encourages adherence to others.
Conclusions:
- Normative behavior is most effectively encouraged by cues demonstrating others' respect for norms, particularly through the restoration of order.
- Interventions aimed at increasing conformity to norms should focus on creating "normative respect cues" that highlight norm enforcement.
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