Norms and Development:
Interdisciplinary Approach
Week 1
Introduction of the seminar
&
What are social norms?
Why Do We Study Norms in
the LIFE seminar?



It’s macro-level (social) phenomena.
It’s micro-level (psychological) phenomena.
Two levels are mutually influencing each other.
Individual
Behaviors/
Psychology
2
Groups/
Society/
Culture
Readings & Topics Include…
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Neuroscience
Sociology / Economics
Moral Philosophy
Political Science
Evolutionary Anthropology
Evolutionary
Biology
3
But, Too Complex…
Norm 2
Norm 1
Norm 3
??
Norm 6
4
Norm 4
Norm 5
But, Too Complex… (cont’d)
“I read both the readings and just found
that norms are so complex
phenomena…”
“I myself don’t 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
1. Starting from a simple model. Sticking to a
single meta-theory. Gradually coming back to
the reality.
 Part 1 (Masanori) & 2 (Gerd)
2. 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
Individual
Behaviors/
Psychology
8
Groups/
Society/
Culture
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.
Individual
Behaviors/
Psychology
10
Groups/
Society/
Culture
Is the Seminar Too Complicated…?
11
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?
How Can We Tackle
Complex Phenomena?
Norm 2
Norm 1
Norm 3
??
Norm 6
14
Norm 4
Norm 5
How Can We Tackle
Complex Phenomena?
Norm 2
Norm 1
Norm 6
Norm 3
Model X
Model
Y
Norm 4
Norm 5
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Features of Social Norms
1. Social norms are the rules existing inside
of individuals.
2. They are the socially shared rules and
need to be approved from the others.
3. Violation of norms induce punitive
sentiment and punishment behaviors from
the others.
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Features of Social Norms
(cont’d)
4. Social norms are often internalized =
following a norm even when no one is
observing the behavior.
5. Often conflicting with self-interest.
6. Sometimes harming the welfare of a whole
society.
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A Model of Social Norms
Step. 1
Each individual can select either “normcompliance” 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 normfollowers.
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A Model of Social Norms
Step. 1’
Each individual can select either “normcompliance” 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
(cont’d)
Step 2.
Each individual can punish norm-violators at
one’s 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
(cont’d)
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
(cont’d)
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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What’s 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 4
Norm 3
Model X
Model
Y
Norm 6
Norm 5
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, isn’t 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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(cont’d) 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 other’s welfare but the others don’t.
How about shame and guilt? How about
internalization of social norms? We human
have capacities to acquire social norms.
Don’t they explain why social norms exist?
A. You’re 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?
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… We’ll start from
removing the prejudice against evolutionary
perspective. Don’t confuse it with Evolutionary
Psychology…
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