Replication Data for: Spheres of immanent justice: Sacred violations evoke expectations of cosmic punishment, irrespective of societal punishment

People like to believe that misdeeds do not escape punishment. However, do people expect that some kinds of sins are particularly punished by “the universe,” not just by society? Five experiments (N = 1184) found that people expected more cosmic punishment for transgressions of sacred rules than transgressions of secular rules or conventions (Studies 1–3) and that this “sacred effect” holds even after violations have been punished by society (Study 4a-4b). In Study 1, participants expected more cosmic punishment for a person who had sex with a cousin (sacred taboo) than sex with a subordinate (secular harm) or sex with a family associate (convention violation). In Study 2, people expected more cosmic punishment for eating a bald eagle (sacred violation) than eating an endangered puffin (secular violation) or a farm-raised emu (convention violation). In Study 3, Hindus expected more cosmic punishment for entering a temple wearing shoes (sacred violation) rather than entering a temple wearing revealing clothing (secular violation) or sunglasses (convention violation). In all three studies, this “sacred effect” was mediated by the perceived blasphemy rather than the perceived harm, immorality, or unusualness of the violations. Study 4a measured both expectations of societal and cosmic punishment, and Study 4b measured expectations of cosmic punishment after each violation had received societal punishment. Even after violations received societal punishment, people expected more cosmic punishment for sacred violations than secular or convention violations. Results are discussed in relation to models of immanent justice and just world beliefs.

世人往往坚信恶行终将难逃惩处。然而，人们是否期待某些罪行会特别受到“宇宙”的惩处，而不仅仅是社会的制裁？五项实验（N = 1184）发现，人们对违反神圣规则的行为抱有更强烈的宇宙惩处预期，相较于世俗规则或习俗的违反（研究1-3），即便在违规行为已受到社会制裁之后，这种“神圣效应”依然存在（研究4a-4b）。在研究1中，参与者预期与表亲发生性关系（神圣禁忌）将受到比与下属发生性关系（世俗伤害）或与家庭成员发生性关系（习俗违反）更严厉的宇宙惩处。在研究2中，人们预期食用秃鹰（神圣违反）将受到比食用濒危的企鹅（世俗违反）或农场饲养的鸵鸟（习俗违反）更严重的宇宙惩处。在研究3中，印度教徒预期穿着鞋子进入寺庙（神圣违反）将比穿着暴露的服装进入寺庙（世俗违反）或佩戴太阳镜（习俗违反）受到更严厉的宇宙惩处。在这三项研究中，这种“神圣效应”是由感知到的亵渎，而非感知到的伤害、不道德或异常性所中介的。研究4a测量了社会和宇宙惩处的预期，而研究4b则测量了在每一项违规行为均接受到社会制裁之后的宇宙惩处预期。即便在违规行为接受了社会制裁之后，人们依然预期神圣违反将比世俗或习俗违反受到更严厉的宇宙惩处。研究结果与内在正义模型和公正世界信念模型的相关性进行了讨论。