Successful Dissertation Defense: Vincent Oberhauser Explores When and Why Social Norms Fail
At the beginning of April, Vincent Oberhauser successfully defended his dissertation. His work examines why social norms sometimes lose their regulating power and under which conditions rule-breaking becomes more likely. Using experimental and survey data, the dissertation offers new insights into cooperation, fairness, and norm compliance.
Vincent Oberhauser's thesis investigates why social norms sometimes fail to function. Drawing on experimental and survey data, it shows that people are more likely to break rules when it is unclear whether those rules truly apply in a given situation. This becomes evident across three studies, for example in contexts of uncertain punishment, experienced misfortune, or stressful work environments. By contrast, clear rules and strongly internalized norms promote cooperation and fair behavior.
To date, one article from the dissertation has been published in a peer-reviewed journal:
- Oberhauser, V., Velicu, A., & Rauhut, H. (2025). Why social norms matter in science: Determinants of misconduct in German-speaking Europe. Social Science Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103292
A second article is currently under revise-and-resubmit and is available as a preprint:
- Oberhauser, V., Couzin, I., & Salahshour, M. (Preprint). Risk and Retribution: How Punishment Uncertainty Weakens Norms of Cooperation. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/3eb5t_v1
The third article is presently under review:
- Oberhauser, V., & Rauhut, H. Sore Losers: How Experiencing Misfortune Enhances Self-serving Behavior.
We congratulate Vincent and wish him all the best for her future (research) endeavors!
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