Universität zu Köln

Lonnqvist, Jan-Erik ORCID: 0000-0001-8292-6090, Rilke, Rainer Michael ORCID: 0000-0001-8901-860X and Walkowitz, Gari (2015). On why hypocrisy thrives: Reasonable doubt created by moral posturing can deter punishment. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol., 59. S. 139 - 146. SAN DIEGO: ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. ISSN 1096-0465

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

In four bargaining games with an option to punish, participants could avoid punishment by shifting the blame for an unfair offer on a random coin flip. Punishments were not affected by whether the results of the coin flip could be verified, nor by beliefs about whether a coin had actually been flipped (Studies 1-3). Our results suggest that the rather blatant moral posturing of hypocrites was enough to create reasonable doubt about their guilt, and that such doubt deterred punishment. Alternative explanations of reluctance to punish hypocrites, such as free-riding from altruistic punishment (Study 2), or feelings of gratitude (Study 3) were not supported. Independent third parties were also less punitive toward those who blamed the coin (Study 4). Similar results were found in an online vignette study run with a more representative sample (Study 5). In sum, these findings suggest that hypocrisy thrives because it can deter punishment. (c) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Lonnqvist, Jan-Erik UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-8292-6090 UNSPECIFIED Rilke, Rainer Michael UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-8901-860X UNSPECIFIED Walkowitz, Gari UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-400088
DOI:	10.1016/j.jesp.2015.04.005
Journal or Publication Title:	J. Exp. Soc. Psychol.
Volume:	59
Page Range:	S. 139 - 146
Date:	2015
Publisher:	ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
Place of Publication:	SAN DIEGO
ISSN:	1096-0465
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language MECHANICAL TURK; BEHAVIOR; COOPERATION; DECEPTION; FAIRNESS; GAMES; ME Multiple languages Psychology, Social Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/40008