@tagerai.bsky.social
Theoretically, findings raise Qs about whether punishment evolved to support cooperation. Punishment may be more about exploitation/domination. Policy-wise, they help to explain not only why punitive policies don’t work, but also why non-criminalized communities think they work. 12/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Theoretically, findings raise Qs about whether punishment evolved to support cooperation. Punishment may be more about exploitation/domination. Policy-wise, they help to explain not only why punitive policies don’t work, but also why non-criminalized communities think they work. 12/
Much more in paper, but results help show that punishment only works if it communicates moral intentions and norms. If those signals are degraded by selfish/biased motives, punishment stops working. Nothing to worry about unless you find yourself in society w/rising corruption and polarization 10/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Much more in paper, but results help show that punishment only works if it communicates moral intentions and norms. If those signals are degraded by selfish/biased motives, punishment stops working. Nothing to worry about unless you find yourself in society w/rising corruption and polarization 10/
We find this is b/c observers think paying punishers increases cooperation. They trust punishers, think targets of punishment are selfish, and focus on catching cheaters. Targets of punishment don’t trust punishers, care about fair treatment, and worry about punishment of those who do cooperate 9/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
We find this is b/c observers think paying punishers increases cooperation. They trust punishers, think targets of punishment are selfish, and focus on catching cheaters. Targets of punishment don’t trust punishers, care about fair treatment, and worry about punishment of those who do cooperate 9/
If punishment doesn’t work, then why do we punish? We let observers who would benefit from more cooperation choose what experimental conditions they would be assigned to. They overwhelmingly choose conditions where punishers are paid to severely punish, and they lose money as a result. 8/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
If punishment doesn’t work, then why do we punish? We let observers who would benefit from more cooperation choose what experimental conditions they would be assigned to. They overwhelmingly choose conditions where punishers are paid to severely punish, and they lose money as a result. 8/
This effect holds regardless of punishment rates. In this study, people are punished every time they act selfish and they’re never punished if they act fair. Optimal conditions for learning to share. Even then, what we find is that while sharing increases, its always lower if punishers are paid 7/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
This effect holds regardless of punishment rates. In this study, people are punished every time they act selfish and they’re never punished if they act fair. Optimal conditions for learning to share. Even then, what we find is that while sharing increases, its always lower if punishers are paid 7/
We're interested in what happens when people can punish (next 4 rds). When punishers are unpaid (classic version), punishment stabilizes sharing rates (blue line), as theory predicts. But when punishers are paid, cooperation collapses (red line), classic effects disappear as people stop sharing 6/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
We're interested in what happens when people can punish (next 4 rds). When punishers are unpaid (classic version), punishment stabilizes sharing rates (blue line), as theory predicts. But when punishers are paid, cooperation collapses (red line), classic effects disappear as people stop sharing 6/
To test this idea in the lab, we add a twist to classic punishment games. We pay people a bonus to punish. You can think of this like cops getting bonuses for meeting quotas, asset seizure, or other profit motives. Here’s what we find- when there’s no punishment, (first 4 rds), sharing goes down 5/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
To test this idea in the lab, we add a twist to classic punishment games. We pay people a bonus to punish. You can think of this like cops getting bonuses for meeting quotas, asset seizure, or other profit motives. Here’s what we find- when there’s no punishment, (first 4 rds), sharing goes down 5/
Meta-analyses show severe criminal justice policies don't reduce crime. We think this is b/c in real world, punishers have selfish/biased motives and can’t be trusted. We see that at macrolevel, here’s a graph from Balliet/Van Lange, showing punishment is more effective in high-trust societies 4/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Meta-analyses show severe criminal justice policies don't reduce crime. We think this is b/c in real world, punishers have selfish/biased motives and can’t be trusted. We see that at macrolevel, here’s a graph from Balliet/Van Lange, showing punishment is more effective in high-trust societies 4/
Background- Why do people share/behave fairly instead of cheat/act selfish? A classic answer is people's willingness to punish. Here’s a famous graph from fehr/gachter showing that pre-punishment (rds 1-10) contributions steadily go down, then post-punishment (rds 11-20) contributions go back up 2/
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Background- Why do people share/behave fairly instead of cheat/act selfish? A classic answer is people's willingness to punish. Here’s a famous graph from fehr/gachter showing that pre-punishment (rds 1-10) contributions steadily go down, then post-punishment (rds 11-20) contributions go back up 2/
Honorable mention for the trademark alone
November 13, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Honorable mention for the trademark alone
I’m right here lol
November 6, 2025 at 2:42 AM
I’m right here lol
We all have to live with mistakes from our youth
October 29, 2025 at 11:41 PM
We all have to live with mistakes from our youth
The full albright quote is really bad
October 28, 2025 at 11:23 PM
The full albright quote is really bad
This part hits so close to what we’ve seen over the last fe couple of years in the UC its painful. This all started pre-Trump, but certainly symbolizes it well
October 25, 2025 at 2:39 AM
This part hits so close to what we’ve seen over the last fe couple of years in the UC its painful. This all started pre-Trump, but certainly symbolizes it well
I still remember the insane answers at the UC-wide townhall last year
October 24, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I still remember the insane answers at the UC-wide townhall last year
I love how every email I get from UC leadership is lIke “we are going to fight like hell for you which is why we’re complying with all of trump’s demands”
October 4, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I love how every email I get from UC leadership is lIke “we are going to fight like hell for you which is why we’re complying with all of trump’s demands”
I love the open rank salary ranges-
October 1, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I love the open rank salary ranges-
This part right here is what entirely too many social scientists have been in denial about for too long.
September 20, 2025 at 5:54 PM
This part right here is what entirely too many social scientists have been in denial about for too long.
Update on this story: As many of us feared, it turns out that Berkeley wasn't the only UC to release personal info on its pro-palestine anti-genocide professors to the justice department, it looks they they all did. Berkeley was just the only one to tell profs they did it.
September 16, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Update on this story: As many of us feared, it turns out that Berkeley wasn't the only UC to release personal info on its pro-palestine anti-genocide professors to the justice department, it looks they they all did. Berkeley was just the only one to tell profs they did it.
Lmao imagining how these corrections must work. I tried the 2010 prompt and it was fixed, but then I tried 2015 and it seemed even more confused than before
September 2, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Lmao imagining how these corrections must work. I tried the 2010 prompt and it was fixed, but then I tried 2015 and it seemed even more confused than before
If someone had asked me a decade ago about various forms of abolition, I'd have said of course we need police and punishment b/c we're socialized into simply accepting it in the west. Then you do the research and now my papers all have sections like this- www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
September 1, 2025 at 5:09 PM
If someone had asked me a decade ago about various forms of abolition, I'd have said of course we need police and punishment b/c we're socialized into simply accepting it in the west. Then you do the research and now my papers all have sections like this- www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
One time boy george guest starred on the A-Team
August 30, 2025 at 3:20 AM
One time boy george guest starred on the A-Team
Who has an answer to this?
August 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Who has an answer to this?
34 results! LibGen doing some deep cuts on my work, some of these are sooo old lol. Will def sign up.
August 14, 2025 at 8:39 PM
34 results! LibGen doing some deep cuts on my work, some of these are sooo old lol. Will def sign up.
that range sounds about right for biz school market, which has a different funding model, but the social psych market at least looks like a desert for this point in the cycle?
August 14, 2025 at 7:32 PM
that range sounds about right for biz school market, which has a different funding model, but the social psych market at least looks like a desert for this point in the cycle?