Cooperation between newcomers and incumbents: The role of normative disagreements

Cooperation in groups often requires individual members to make costly contributions that benefit the group as a whole. Prior research suggests shared norms can help support ingroup cooperation by prescribing common standards of how much contribute. These may be disrupted when undergo membership change, i.e., from outgroups enter ingroup. When newcomers and incumbents have different notions about contribute, normative disagreement ensues could undermine extent which individuals identify with group. In laboratory experiment, we manipulate whether disagree contribute public goods game peer punishment. We examine between affects newcomer-incumbent relations terms identification, emergence social norm, The main goal is test resulting harm good. find negatively norm lowers feelings identification. Contrary expectations, does not affect negatively. Instead, participants adjust their behavior each other’s standards, using punishment for enforcement. This especially directed at low-contributing newcomers, leading them conform incumbents’ higher contribution standards.