Outcome uncertainty diminishes third‐party intervention, while impact uncertainty yields divergent effects
Punishment wanes, help endures
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15087607 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Li Wang (0000-0002-3460-2080, Normal College, Center for Computational Affective Neuroscience and Brain‐Computer Interface, Center for Brain and Mental Health Research Jingchu University of Technology Jingmen China), Ting Li (0000-0002-9614-1566, Institute of Brain and Psychological Science Sichuan Normal University Chengdu China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian Journal Of Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1367-2223 • E-ISSN: 1467-839X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ajsp.12669 |
| OpenAlex | W4408972337 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 68 |
Third‐party intervention (TPI), where unaffected observers invest their resources either to punish selfishness (third‐party punishment, TPP) or to help those treated unfairly (third‐party help, TPH), plays a crucial role in upholding social norms by actively restoring fairness. However, uncertainty pervades human social life, raising questions about people's willingness to intervene when the fairness of a situation or the impact of their intervention on others is unclear. Our research investigates how uncertainty, both in outcomes and impacts, influences TPI strategies, including TPP and TPH. We found that outcome uncertainty generally reduces willingness to engage in both TPP and TPH. In contrast, impact uncertainty has a nuanced effect across TPI strategies, diminishing the likelihood of TPP while retaining the inclination towards TPH. Our findings on the effects of uncertainty on TPH extend beyond existing research on uncertainty and prosocial behaviour. This research deepens our understanding of normative decision‐making and offers practical insights into managing social behaviours in real‐world contexts characterised by uncertainty
Economics · Microeconomics · Positive economics · Psychiatry · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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The Evolution of Altruism in Humans
A Theory of Fairness, Competition, and Cooperation
Normative foundations of human cooperation
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Why people prefer unequal societies
Resolving uncertainty in a social world
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |