Abstract
Previous theorizing about punishment has suggested that humans desire to punish inequality per se. However, the research supporting such an interpretation contains important methodological confounds. The main objective of the current experiment was to remove those confounds in order to test whether generating inequality per se is punished. Participants were recruited from an online market to take part in a wealth-alteration game with an ostensible second player. The participants were given an option to deduct from the other player’s payment as punishment for their behavior during the game. The results suggest that human punishment does not appear to be motivated by inequality per se, as inequality that was generated without inflicting costs on others was not reliably punished. Instead, punishment seems to respond primarily to the infliction of costs, with inequality only becoming relevant as a secondary input for punishment decisions. The theoretical significance of this finding is discussed in the context of its possible adaptive value.
Highlights
Consider the following scenario: a tourist is vacationing in a poor, but scenic part of the world
Previous research has claimed that human punishment behavior is motivated directly by inequality itself
If losses were not experienced, deductions were universally low, irrespective of the presence of inequality. These results suggest that losses–not inequality–are the primary drivers of punishment decisions
Summary
Consider the following scenario: a tourist is vacationing in a poor, but scenic part of the world. While the tourist could chase down the pickpocket himself or report the theft to the local police, he decides against it, viewing the theft as permissible on the grounds that the thief was likely still worse off than he subsequently was. Upon his returning home, the tourist is assaulted by a local man for being better off than his assailant. The tourist is assaulted by a local man for being better off than his assailant This scenario likely sounds strange, owing to the role that inequality is playing as a primary input for psychological punishment mechanisms. Punitive mechanisms that harmed others for being better off would appear needlessly costly, initiating conflicts where none need exist
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