Commitments and reciprocity in trust situations : Experimental studies on obligation, indignation, and self-consistency

Abstract

Explaining social order is of primary concern for social theories. It requires the study of sanctioning mechanisms that help enforce social norms. Punishment for misbehavior and reward for good conduct are forms of reciprocity. Reciprocal behavior can be rooted in emotions that constitute the basis of internalized social norms. Not only are motivations generated by people’s concern with their own and others’ outcomes but also by people’s own and others’ preceding behavior. Others’ kind behavior induces feelings of obligation to return the favors and others’ unkind behavior inflicts feelings of indignation that trigger a thirst for revenge. Furthermore, due to people’s desire for self-consistency, promises and threats can intrinsically serve as a commitment. This book comprises four studies that investigate influences of these process-based motivations on trustfulness, trustworthiness, and sanctioning behavior, as well as on effects of outcome-based motivations. The focus is on trust situations and related sharing situations among two strangers. Some decision situations involve promises of trustworthiness and others reward promises or punishment threats. Two lab experiments have been conducted in order to analyze “pure” effects of preceding decisions without making specific assumptions about people’s outcome preferences. The results provide evidence that preceding behavior affects subsequent decision-making and also shapes the influence of outcome-based motivations on people’s behavior.