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The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
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Group bias in cooperative norm enforcement
Katherine McAuliffe1, Yarrow Dunham2
1Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, USA Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA katherine.mcauliffe@yale.edu.
Summary
People show in-group bias in cooperation, favoring their own groups. Evidence suggests this bias stems more from general preferences for in-group members than from enforcing group norms.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Human social cognition is characterized by in-group bias, affecting cooperation.
- This bias influences resource sharing and fairness norm enforcement based on group membership.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying reasons for in-group bias in cooperative decision-making.
- To evaluate two competing hypotheses: the Norms-Focused Hypothesis and the Mere Preferences Hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and appraisal of existing empirical evidence.
- Analysis of studies involving both adult and child participants.
Main Results:
- The collected evidence is complex but largely aligns with the Mere Preferences Hypothesis.
- Limited evidence uniquely supports the Norms-Focused Hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- General affective preferences for in-group members appear to be a primary driver of cooperative biases.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the interplay between group bias and cooperation.
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