Lakehead University, Orillia, ON, Canada.
Hum Nat. 2013 Sep;24(3):318-35. doi: 10.1007/s12110-013-9169-9.
A cornerstone of economic theory is that rational agents are self-interested, yet a decade of research in experimental economics has shown that economic decisions are frequently driven by concerns for fairness, equity, and reciprocity. One aspect of other-regarding behavior that has garnered attention is noblesse oblige, a social norm that obligates those of higher status to be generous in their dealings with those of lower status. The results of a cross-cultural study are reported in which marked noblesse oblige was observed on a reciprocal-contract decision-making task. Participants from seven countries that vary along hierarchical and individualist/collectivist social dimensions were more tolerant of non-reciprocation when they adopted a high-ranking perspective compared with a low-ranking perspective.
经济理论的基石是理性主体都是自利的，但实验经济学十年来的研究表明，经济决策常常受到公平、公正和互惠等因素的驱动。关注的另一个方面是贵族义务，这是一种社会规范，要求地位较高的人在与地位较低的人打交道时要慷慨大方。本文报告了一项跨文化研究的结果，在互惠合同决策任务中观察到明显的贵族义务。在社会层级和个人主义/集体主义维度上存在差异的七个国家的参与者在采用高等级视角而非低等级视角时，对非互惠行为的容忍度更高。
