Dataset - Effect of Free-will on Third-party Punishment

Belief in Free-Will (BFW) arguably influences prosocial behavior and thus third-party punishment (TPP). The central aim of this study is to address the question of whether BFW has an impact on punishment magnitude in TPP tasks. To relate this focus to criminal justice policies, however, this research expands its scope by including potential correlations between BFW and political attitudes and cognitive tendencies. Our basic hypothesis is that BFW and punishment magnitude are positively correlated. Our principal finding is that the level of BFW is positively correlated with the degree of punishment administered in hypothetical crime scenarios. Additionally, we found that the average punishment magnitude for participants with a low level of BFW increases in high-affect crime scenarios.