Retribution: Punishment's Formative Aim

The roles of retribution and utility in determining punishment

Three studies examined the motives underlying people’s desire to punish. In previous research, participants have read hypothetical criminal scenarios and assigned “fair” sentences to the perpetrators. Systematic manipulations within these scenarios revealed high sensitivity to factors associated with motives of retribution, but low sensitivity to utilitarian motives. This research identiWes the...

Self-Enforcing Cooperation with Graduated Punishments∗

Case studies of self-enforcing cooperation in repeated interactions usually find that the punishments inflicted on deviators are mild to start with, and increase only if there is evidence of persistent deviation. We model this using a combination of imperfect monitoring and asymmetric information in a one-sided prisoner’s dilemma. Call the player with the temptation to cheat player B, and the o...

The Root of Retribution : Coercion or Competition ?

Everyone has experienced injustices and slights, and so approximately everyone has experienced sentiments like anger, resentment, and vengefulness. These are not just feelings. They are also motives; I call them retributive motives. In their grip, one is motivated to confront, retaliate, avenge, or seek retribution, often contrary to better judgment. These motives can be contrasted with prospec...

Retribution and the Experience of Punishment

Retribution in a Cheap-talk Experiment

We use a two-person 3-stage game to investigate whether people choose to punish or reward another player by sacrificing money to increase or decrease the other person’s payoff. One player sends a message indicating an intended play, which is either favorable or unfavorable to the other player in the game. After the message, the sender and the receiver play a simultaneous 2x2 game. A deceptive m...