Personal experience trumps public reputation when people judge others' refusals
A research team led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University experimentally examined how people evaluate others when a person's public reputation conflicts with their own experience with that person.
A research team led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University experimentally examined how people evaluate others when a person's public reputation conflicts with their own experience with that person.
The short version
- 14, 2026, in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.
- This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies .
- 14, 2026, in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior .
What happened
In human societies, people often rely on reputation when deciding whom to help or cooperate with. This reputation-based mechanism for supporting cooperation is known as indirect reciprocity.
Why it matters
The study examined how people's judgments change when reputational information is combined with their own direct experience.
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