{"title":"Blindfolding, Perceptual Dehumanization and Tolerance for State-Sanctioned Killing: A Theory of Illegitimate Punishment","authors":"Katrina Fincher, Patrick Bergemann","doi":"10.1002/ejsp.3152","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>The present work integrates cultural practices, perceptual psychology and social cognition to explore the psychological effects of blindfolding in state-sanctioned punishment. Across four studies, we demonstrate how the use of blindfolds—a seemingly minor aspect of punishment rituals—attenuates configural face processing, a change we argue alters social behaviour. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that blindfolds are associated with a tolerance for harsher punishments. Studies 3 and 4 explore the legitimacy of punitive action; findings from these studies suggest that blindfolding rituals hold the largest effect when the punishment would not be seen as legitimate. These results suggest that historically ingrained punitive rituals may subtly exploit psychological biases to shape public attitudes, offering insights into the psychological underpinnings of institutional legitimacy and societal compliance.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":48377,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Social Psychology","volume":"55 5","pages":"762-773"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"European Journal of Social Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.3152","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The present work integrates cultural practices, perceptual psychology and social cognition to explore the psychological effects of blindfolding in state-sanctioned punishment. Across four studies, we demonstrate how the use of blindfolds—a seemingly minor aspect of punishment rituals—attenuates configural face processing, a change we argue alters social behaviour. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that blindfolds are associated with a tolerance for harsher punishments. Studies 3 and 4 explore the legitimacy of punitive action; findings from these studies suggest that blindfolding rituals hold the largest effect when the punishment would not be seen as legitimate. These results suggest that historically ingrained punitive rituals may subtly exploit psychological biases to shape public attitudes, offering insights into the psychological underpinnings of institutional legitimacy and societal compliance.
期刊介绍:
Topics covered include, among others, intergroup relations, group processes, social cognition, attitudes, social influence and persuasion, self and identity, verbal and nonverbal communication, language and thought, affect and emotion, embodied and situated cognition and individual differences of social-psychological relevance. Together with original research articles, the European Journal of Social Psychology"s innovative and inclusive style is reflected in the variety of articles published: Research Article: Original articles that provide a significant contribution to the understanding of social phenomena, up to a maximum of 12,000 words in length.