When Alterations are Violations: Moral Outrage and Punishment in Response to (Even Minor) Alterations to Rituals [PDF]→

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Stein, D. H., Schroeder, J., Hobson, N. M., Gino, F., & Norton, M. I. (2022). When alterations are violations: Moral outrage and punishment in response to (even minor) alterations to rituals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123, 123–153. [APA PsycNet Link]

  • Short Summary: This paper documents the sacrosanct nature of rituals: Because group rituals symbolize sacred group values, even minor alterations to them provoke moral outrage and punishment. We find that the more that ingroup members believe their rituals symbolize their sacred group values, the more they protect their rituals— by punishing those who violate them (7 primary studies, 3 supplemental studies).

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Work Group Rituals Enhance The Meaning of Work [PDF]→

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Kim, T., Sezer, O., Schroeder, J., Risen, J., Gino, F., & Norton, M.I. (2021). Work group rituals enhance the meaning of work. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 165, 197-212. [Science Direct Link]

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A Sacred Commitment: How Rituals Promote Group Survival [PDF]→

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Stein, D. H., Hobson, N. M., & Schroeder, J. (2021). A sacred commitment: How rituals promote group survival. Current Opinion in Psychology, 40, 114-120. [Science Direct Link]

  • Short Summary: This paper proposes that rituals enhance religious group survival not only by signaling external commitment but also by fostering internal commitment toward the group in three ways: (1) enhancing belief in the group’s values (‘committed cognition’), (2) increasing the desire to maintain membership in the group (‘committed affect’), and (3) increasing contributions to the welfare of the group (‘committed behavior’).

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Handshaking Promotes Dealmaking by Signaling Cooperative Intent [PDF]→

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Schroeder, J., Risen, J.L., Gino, F. & Norton, M.I. (2019). Handshaking promotes dealmaking by signaling cooperative intent. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116, 743-768. [APA PsycNet Link]

  • Short Summary: This paper uses the context of economic games and integrative and distributive negotiations to examine whether handshakes—greeting rituals imbued with meaning beyond mere physical contact—signal a counterpart's intent to be cooperative and promote deal-making outcomes (7 studies).

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  • Best Student-led Paper Award, International Association for Conflict Management

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The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework [PDF]→

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Hobson, N.M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J.L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). The psychology of rituals: An integrative review and process-based framework. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 22, 260-284. [APA PsycNet Link]

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