Mob mentality: Social norms affect the approval and perceived morality of unjustified police violence

Abstract

Research indicates that people's responses to violence—and the way media portrays said violence—are influenced by intuitive moral judgments shaped by social cues that define right and wrong. Leveraging affective disposition theory (ADT) and social norms research, this study explored how group messaging, specifically the communication of social norms, affects perceptions of moral behavior in the context of police violence. In a preregistered experiment, participants read a news article about a police officer who was punished for unjustified violence, followed by social comments either supporting or opposing the punishment. Exposure to comments that opposed the punishment led readers to view the officer's violent actions more favorably and boosted perceptions of the officer's morality. Findings highlight how social cues influence approval of violence and moral appraisals, and are discussed in terms of their implications for media processing theories, civic discourse, and attitude formation.