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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Shifting normative beliefs: On why groups behave more antisocially than individuals
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Sascha Behnk
  • Li Hao
  • Ernesto Reuben
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title European Economic Review
Publisher Elsevier
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 0014-2921
Volume 145
Page Range 104116
Date 2022
Abstract Text A growing body of research shows that people tend to act more antisocially in groups than alone. However, little is known about why having “partners in crime” has such an effect. We run an experiment using sender–receiver games in which we elicit subjects’ normative and empirical beliefs to shed light on potential driving factors of this phenomenon. We find that the involvement of an additional sender makes the antisocial actions of senders more normatively acceptable to all parties, including receivers. By contrast, empirical beliefs are unaffected by the additional sender, suggesting that antisocial behavior increases in groups because antisocial actions become more acceptable and not because acceptable behavior is expected less often. We identify a necessary condition for this effect: the additional sender has to actively participate in the decision-making.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2022.104116
Other Identification Number merlin-id:22344
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