The aim of this study was to investigate how principals sanction their agent’s attempts (attacker) at exploiting another party (defender) through attack, and whether sanctions are influenced by the...Show moreThe aim of this study was to investigate how principals sanction their agent’s attempts (attacker) at exploiting another party (defender) through attack, and whether sanctions are influenced by the outcomes of the agent’s contest decisions (win/loss and victory/no victory) and the principal’s social value orientation. The results showed that principals have higher sanction values (towards reward) when the outcomes of the attacker are win or victory (compared to loss and no victory). In addition, the results showed that principals have higher sanction values towards win outcomes, no matter if these outcomes are victory or not. There were no significant effects found of the social value orientation, which does not have an influence on the sanctioning behaviour. Altogether, this study deepens the understanding of sanctioning behaviour in humans in conflict situations where people perform actions for someone else who will in response receive a reward or punishment.Show less
