Doctoral Dissertation Research: Intergroup Conflict and Emerging Social Structure

康奈尔大学虽然处于冲突中的群体有时会和平地解决他们的争端，但考虑到冲突的代价和和平的好处，冲突往往出人意料地持久。先前旨在揭示冲突机制的实验研究表明，冲突倾向于随着时间的推移而减少。这些发现并不能解释许多众所周知的冲突表面上的棘手。本项目试图回答这个问题，首先观察到一个群体进一步或减少冲突的能力取决于该群体在其成员之间执行规范的能力。具体来说，令人信服的攻击性表现需要大多数群体成员表现出战斗的意愿，而令人信服的和平主义表现很快就会被少数具有侵略性的群体成员破坏。这项研究将社会规范与群体之间的冲突联系起来。co-PI假设，在冲突中，个体更有可能消极地评价和制裁那些对冲突没有贡献的群体成员。这种惩罚非贡献者的更大意愿导致冲突期间对群体的贡献更高。因此，群体冲突和社会规范变得自我强化：冲突促进规范的出现，而规范则加剧冲突的强度。调查人员将进行一个实验室实验，在这个实验中，玩家团队通过计算机网络进行互动。这些团队玩的游戏带有激励机制，旨在反映现实生活中观察到的冲突。这些团队将被控制在与另一个团队冲突的情况下进行游戏（冲突条件），或者只与自己的团队成员互动（无冲突条件）。参与者做出决定，是促成冲突还是退出冲突，以及是否对那些选择不促成冲突的小组成员进行负面制裁。更广泛的影响。该研究有助于我们对群体冲突机制的理解，从而可能用于制定解决冲突的新策略。该项目将有助于培养本科生研究助理，开发实验设置的新软件，并支持大学的研究生课程。

SES-0526214Michael MacyStephen BenardCornell UniversityWhile groups in conflict sometimes peacefully resolve their disputes, conflict is often surprisingly durable, given the costs of conflict and the benefits of peace. Previous experimental research aimed at uncovering the mechanisms underlying conflict shows a tendency for conflict to diminish over time. These findings do not explain the apparent intractability of many well-known conflicts. This project seeks to answer that question by beginning with the observation that a group's ability further or reduce conflict depends on the ability of the group to enforce norms among its members. Specifically, convincing displays of aggression require a majority of group members to display a willingness to fight while convincing displays of pacifism are quickly undermined by a few aggressive group members. This research links social norms to conflict between groups. The co-PI hypothesizes that during conflict individuals become more likely to negatively evaluate and sanction members of their group who do not contribute to the conflict. This greater willingness to punish non-contributors leads to higher levels of contribution to the group during conflict. As a result, group conflict and social norms become self-reinforcing: conflict promotes the emergence of norms, while norms heighten the intensity of conflict. The investigator will conduct a laboratory experiment in which teams of players interact over a computer network. The teams play games with incentives structures designed to mirror those observed in real-life conflicts. The teams will be manipulated to play the games in conflict with another team (the conflict condition) or interact with their own team members only (the no-conflict condition). Participants make decisions about contributing to or withdrawing from the conflict, and whether to negatively sanction group members who choose not to contribute to the conflict. Broader Impact. The research contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying group conflict, and thereby could possibly be used to develop new strategies for conflict resolution. The project will contribute to training undergraduate research assistants, developing new software for experimental settings, and support for the University's graduate program.