Laws regulate behaviour. However, human beings do not always obey the law. This makes it important to identify how law enforcement can stimulate compliance. This thesis investigates multiple gaps... Show moreLaws regulate behaviour. However, human beings do not always obey the law. This makes it important to identify how law enforcement can stimulate compliance. This thesis investigates multiple gaps in the literature on instrumental and normative pathways to compliance and counters some of the limitations in previous research. It contains three empirical studies that answer the following questions. Do citizens update their perceived sanction risk in response to changes in police activity? Does police behaviour that signals higher quality of treatment or decision-making lead to higher perceived procedural justice? Howdo instrumental and normative motivations translate into greater compliance with traffic laws?All results are based on field research conducted with the help of the Dutch National Police between January and August 2017. During this period data was collected at routine traffic control check-points for mopeds. The combination of data gathered through surveys, structured social observations and an experimental manipulation contributes to a better and more precise understanding of pathways to compliance. Show less
Frey, V.; De Mulder, H.N.M.; Bekke M. ter; Struiksma M.E.; Berkum, J. J. A. van; Buskens, V. 2022
The current study investigates whether self-talk phrases can infuence behavior in Ultimatum Games. In our three self-talk treatments, participants were instructed to tell themselves (i) to keep... Show moreThe current study investigates whether self-talk phrases can infuence behavior in Ultimatum Games. In our three self-talk treatments, participants were instructed to tell themselves (i) to keep their own interests in mind, (ii) to also think of the other person, or (iii) to take some time to contemplate their decision. We investigate how such so-called experimenter-determined strategic self-talk phrases afect behavior and emotions in comparison to a control treatment without instructed self-talk. The results demonstrate that other-focused self-talk can nudge proposers towards fair behavior, as ofers were higher in this group than in the other conditions. For responders, self-talk tended to increase acceptance rates of unfair ofers as compared to the condition without self-talk. This efect is signifcant for both other-focused and contemplation-inducing self-talk but not for self-focused self-talk. In the selffocused condition, responders were most dissatisfed with unfair ofers. These fndings suggest that use of self-talk can increase acceptance rates in responders, and that focusing on personal interests can undermine this efect as it negatively impacts the responders’ emotional experience. In sum, our study shows that strategic selftalk interventions can be used to afect behavior in bargaining situations. Show less