Retributive responses

Retributive responses play a role in human behavior. Are they triggered pri marily by supposed intentions or by observed consequences of actions? Exper imental studies were conducted of retributive responses in situations in wh ich the individual actor may inflict harmful consequences without intending to and intend harmful consequences without inflicting them. Results indica te that retributive responses are more strongly influenced by observed cons equences than ascribed intentions. However, individual retributive motivati ons seem to be overshadowed by concerns that are nonretributive altogether, in that they focus on end-state distributions independently of who brought them about.