Intergroup conflict and beliefs in supernatural entities concerned with moral behavior

尽管最近的研究强调，与道德相关的认知也可以缓和冲突，但人们通常认为对超自然实体的信仰会激发群体间的冲突和战争。这项研究的目标是建立一个理论框架，使我们能够理解、预测和模拟对超自然实体的信仰如何影响群体间关系，有时鼓励合作和宽容，有时促进冲突。在研究道德相关认知如何在群体间关系中产生不同的结果时，这项研究有可能为我们理解信仰如何塑造并继续影响生活在不同复杂社会中的人类之间的合作提供范式转变。在更广泛的层面上，这项研究将有助于为促进积极关系的循证方法奠定基础。本研究旨在阐明对与人类道德行为有关的超自然实体（“大神”）的信仰如何影响群体间互动中的决策。这包括开发和测试一个理论框架，以解释这些信念有时会加剧，但有时会减弱群体间的冲突。该框架基于以下几个方面：(1)大神信仰增强了对道德规范的忠诚。(2)要理解大神信仰如何影响群体间关系，我们必须理解与特定群体间背景相关的规范。(3)人类做出道德决策的方式是灵活的，在某些情况下（如公平/互惠是功能性的）倾向于群体间的合作，但在其他情况下（如忠诚是功能性的）倾向于狭隘的利他主义。因此，(4)大神信仰对群体间行为的影响取决于特定群体间情境所引发的道德动机。研究小组在不同的冲突程度和不同的人群中进行实地和在线实验来验证这一理论。在研究中，参与者在群体间的背景下做出经济和道德决策。这允许测试认知如何提高情境特定规范的保真度。研究团队利用社会心理学、政治心理学和人类学学者的互补人才，他们在冲突与合作方面具有专长，并相互合作，在拟议的研究地点进行实地调查。这项研究在推进理论的同时，也为政策制定者提供了现实世界的相关性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.