Internet Experiment on Punishment Behavior

Internet Experiment on
Punishment Behavior
Toshio Yamagishi
Karen S. Cook
Shigeru Terai
Coye V. Cheshire
Purpose


Examining whether people cooperate
more with in-group members than with
out-group members.
Examining whether people overlook
more in-group members than out-group
members to punish non-cooperative
behavior.
Task



4 Japanese and 4 Americans participants.
Each participants choose 1 person from 7
person to give his/her money to,
and decide how much money to give.
Each participants choose another person
to overlook his/her giving behavior,
and decide how much money to pay for
punishing the overlooked person.
Results


American participants did not statistically
significantly chose more in-group members than
out-group ones to give money to, and chose
more in-group members than out-group ones to
overlook his/her giving behavior.
Japanese participants chose more out-group
members than in-group members to give money
to, and chose more in-group members than outgroup ones to overlook.
People punish non-cooperators
Average Money for Punishment
Americans Paid
Average Money for Punishment
Japanese Paid
against in-group members
against out-group members
against in-group members
against out-group members
20
20
15
15
10
10
5
5
0
0
～20 ～40 ～60 ～80 ～100
Amount of money the overlooked person gave
～20 ～40 ～60 ～80 ～100
Amount of money the overlooked person gave
Conclusion

General conclusion:
People punish in-group non-cooperators.

My conclusion:
In order to make it in international study,
it is the MOST important to establish good
partnership among experimenters.

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