Why people follow rules

IF 21.4 1区 心理学 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES
Simon Gächter, Lucas Molleman, Daniele Nosenzo
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Abstract

Why people follow rules, especially laws and social norms, is debated across the human sciences. The importance of intrinsic respect for rules is particularly controversial. To reveal the behavioural principles of rule-following, we develop CRISP, an interdisciplinary framework that explains rule-conformity C as a function of intrinsic respect for rules R, extrinsic incentives I, social expectations S and social preferences P. We deploy CRISP in four series of online experiments with 14,034 English-speaking participants. In our baseline experiments, 55–70% of participants conform to an arbitrary costly rule, even though they act anonymously and alone, and violations hurt no one. We show that people expect rule-conformity and view it as socially appropriate. Rule-breaking is contagious but remains moderate. Pro-social motives and extrinsic incentives increase rule-conformity, but unconditional rule-following and social expectations explain most of it. Our results demonstrate that respect for rules and social expectations are basic elements of rule-conformity that can explain why people follow laws and social norms even without extrinsic incentives and social preferences.

Abstract Image

为什么人们遵守规则
为什么人们会遵守规则,尤其是法律和社会规范,这个问题在整个人文科学领域都存在争议。内在尊重规则的重要性尤其引起争议。为了揭示遵守规则的行为原则,我们开发了CRISP,这是一个跨学科框架,将规则遵从性C解释为对规则的内在尊重R、外在激励I、社会期望S和社会偏好p的函数。我们将CRISP应用于四个系列的在线实验中,共有14034名说英语的参与者。在我们的基线实验中,55-70%的参与者遵守了一项武断的、代价高昂的规则,尽管他们是匿名和单独行动的,违反规则不会伤害任何人。我们表明,人们期望遵守规则,并认为这是社会上适当的。违反规则是会传染的,但仍然是温和的。亲社会动机和外在激励增加了规则遵从,但无条件遵守规则和社会期望解释了其中的大部分。我们的研究结果表明,对规则和社会期望的尊重是规则遵从的基本要素,这可以解释为什么即使没有外在激励和社会偏好,人们也会遵守法律和社会规范。
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来源期刊
Nature Human Behaviour
Nature Human Behaviour Psychology-Social Psychology
CiteScore
36.80
自引率
1.00%
发文量
227
期刊介绍: Nature Human Behaviour is a journal that focuses on publishing research of outstanding significance into any aspect of human behavior.The research can cover various areas such as psychological, biological, and social bases of human behavior.It also includes the study of origins, development, and disorders related to human behavior.The primary aim of the journal is to increase the visibility of research in the field and enhance its societal reach and impact.
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