Intergroup conflict and beliefs in supernatural entities concerned with moral behavior

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Belief in supernatural entities is often assumed to motivate inter-group conflict and war although recent research highlights that morally relevant cognitions can also de-escalate conflict. The goal of this research is to develop a theoretical framework that will allow us to understand, predict and model how beliefs in supernatural entities influences inter-group relations, sometimes encouraging cooperation and tolerance, and at other times promoting conflict. In examining how morally relevant cognition can produce divergent outcomes in inter-group relations, this research has the potential to offer a paradigm shift in our understanding of how beliefs may have shaped, and continue to influence, cooperation between humans living in diverse, complex societies. At a broader level, this research will help to build a foundation for evidence-based approaches to facilitate positive relations. This research aims to elucidate how belief in supernatural entities concerned with human moral behavior (“big gods”) influences decision making in inter-group interactions. This involves developing and testing a theoretical framework to explain how such beliefs can sometimes exacerbate, but at other times attenuate, inter-group conflict. The framework rests on the following: (1) Big god beliefs enhance fidelity to moral norms. (2) To understand how big god beliefs influence inter-group relations, we must understand the norms associated with particular inter-group contexts. (3) Humans make moral decisions in a flexible manner, favoring inter-group cooperation in some situations (e.g., when fairness/reciprocity is functional), but parochial altruism in other situations (e.g., when loyalty is functional). Thus, (4) the effect of big god beliefs on inter-group behavior will depend on the moral motives elicited by specific inter-group situations. The research team tests this theory with field and online experiments in contexts that vary in their degree of conflict and with diverse populations. Across studies, participants make economic and moral decisions in inter-group contexts. This allows testing how cognition enhances fidelity to situationally specific norms. The research team employs complementary talents of scholars in social psychology, political psychology, and anthropology who have expertise in conflict and cooperation and who have collaborated with each other to conduct fieldwork in the proposed research sites. This research advances theory while also providing real-world relevance for policy makers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.