Norms and Development: Interdisciplinary Approach

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Norms and DevelopmentInterdisciplinary Approach

• Week 1
• Introduction of the seminar
• What are social norms?

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Why Do We Study Norms in the LIFE seminar?
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Readings Topics Include

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Sociology / Economics
• Moral Philosophy
• Political Science
• Evolutionary Anthropology
• Evolutionary Biology

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But, Too Complex
??
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But, Too Complex (contd)

• I read both the readings and just found that
  norms are so complex phenomena
• I myself dont study norms and am not so much
  interested in the details of the reality
• ? One goals of the seminar is to demonstrate how
  to tackle such a complex topic.

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Two Different Research Strategies

• Starting from a simple model. Sticking to a
  single meta-theory. Gradually coming back to the
  reality.
• ? Part 1 (Masanori) 2 (Gerd)
• Focusing on a particular norm and investigate the
  details.
• ? Part 3 (Monika)

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Part 1 (Week 2-4)General Theoretical Framework

• Analyzing simple models capturing the core
  features of (social) norms.
• Explaining why social norms exists from the
  perspective of social rationality.
• Considering the psychological mechanisms
  underlying social norms.

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Part 2 (Week 5-7)More on Social Rationality

• Pursuing the perspective of social rationality in
  more details
• Focusing on cognitive processes of the individuals

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Part 3 (Week 8-10)Socio-Moral Norms

• Investigating the socio-moral norms in
  developmental and cross-cultural context.
• Interconnecting social rationality and
  developmental approach.

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Part 4 (Week 11-13)Norms in Social Interactions

• How social norms influence in the dynamic social
  interactions?
• Again, we illustrate the power of simple models
  for understanding complex social dynamics.

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Is the Seminar Too Complicated?
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Information on the Seminar

• Each seminar consists of
• 1) Talk by a lecturer
• 2) A fellow's report of an optional paper
• 3) Discussion based on the list of questions
• Dec. 16 ? At the meeting room of the ABC (Rm.
  312)
• All the materials are downloadable from
• http//www-abc.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/users/take/

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• Are you ready?

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How Can We Tackle Complex Phenomena?
??
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How Can We Tackle Complex Phenomena?
Norm 2
Norm 1
Norm 3
Norm 6
Norm 4
Norm 5
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Features of Social Norms

• Social norms are the rules existing inside of
  individuals.
• They are the socially shared rules and need to be
  approved from the others.
• Violation of norms induce punitive sentiment and
  punishment behaviors from the others.

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Features of Social Norms (contd)

• Social norms are often internalized following a
  norm even when no one is observing the behavior.
• Often conflicting with self-interest.
• Sometimes harming the welfare of a whole society.
  

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A Model of Social Norms

• Step. 1
• Each individual can select either
  norm-compliance or norm-violation.
• ? A person who selected compliance has to pay
  some cost but it provides further benefit to all
  the other individuals.
• It is individually rational to violate the
  norm
• and just enjoy the benefit provided by norm-
• followers.

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A Model of Social Norms

• Step. 1
• Each individual can select either
  norm-compliance or norm-violation.
• ? A person who selected compliance has to pay
  some cost but it incurs further cost to all the
  other individuals.
• The norm is socially inefficient.
  Furthermore,
• It is individually rational to violate the
  norm.

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A Model of Social Norms (contd)

• Step 2.
• Each individual can punish norm-violators at
  ones own cost.
• ? If norm-violators are punished, it is no
  longer rational to violate a norm.
• However, it is individually rational not to
  punish violators. Thus, a norm cannot be
  sustained in a society consisting of rational
  individuals.

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A Model of Social Norms (contd)

• Internalization of Norms
• complying with norms even when no one is
  observing the behavior and there is no risk of
  punishment
• Emotion
• shame/guilt are psychological mechanisms
  underlying internalization of norms sources of
  grip to mind. Anger also drives people to
  punitive behaviors.

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A Model of Social Norms (contd)

• Step 1 is identical with so-called social
  dilemma, public goods dilemma, or 1st order free
  rider problem (cf. distinguish it from the step
  1)
• Step 2 has also the same feature as the step 1.
  This is called 2nd order free rider problem.

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Whats This?

• This is an abstract model. No social norm in the
  real world is so simple.
• It captures, however, core features of social
  norms (i.e., rules, social approval, punitive
  sentiment, irrationality).
• ? Compare it with wind-tunnel models in
  engineering.

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Norm 2
Norm 1
Norm 3
Norm 4
Norm 6
Norm 5
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When Is It Justified To Use Such Simple Models?

• Simple models are theoretical tools to understand
  the logics underlying the phenomena in the real
  world.
• It is justified only when it is useful for
  solving theoretical questions set by the
  researchers.
• Ex. Unrealistically simple neural network models
  are used for asking if hierarchical structures
  (e.g., syntax) can come from nothing (see Marcus,
  2003 The Algebraic Mind, MIT Press).

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What Do We Investigate with This Model?

• Explaining why social norms exist
• Q. But, isnt is sufficient to say that people
  sometimes pursue self-interest and the rest of
  the time follow social norms? And, it is just why
  we need the concept of social norms (see p. 133
  of Elster).

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(contd) For instance, when experimental
economists realized that human beings do not
maximize self-interest, they changed their theory
assuming that some people take care of the
others welfare but the others dont. How about
shame and guilt? How about internalization of
social norms? We human have capacities to acquire
social norms. Dont they explain why social norms
exist?
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A. Youre just describing the phenomena. Will it
help us go forward over the disorder we found in
the readings? Can this approach explain
emergence, change and extinction of social norms?
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Is Functionalist Explanation An Alternative?

• Norm of feud is collectively beneficial because
  it helped to keep the Montenegrin tribes divided
  among themselves so that they never posed enough
  of a threat to be more than a nuisance to the
  Turkish empire. Feuding kept the segmentary
  system from unifying to a degree that might
  invite extinction at the hands of the Turks
  (pp. 144-145 in Elster, 1989).
• ? Confusion of causes and effects

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So, How Do You Explain It?

• Explaining social norms (norm-compliance
  punishment of norm-violators) with the principle
  of social rationality.
• Wait for the next seminar and see what this
  approach reveals us Well start from removing
  the prejudice against evolutionary perspective.
  Dont confuse it with Evolutionary Psychology