Abstract
This laboratory study investigated the impact of relationship, relative levels of perceived contribution, and resource constraints on individuals' allocation preferences and dyads' negotiated allocations. Dyads of female undergraduates – either strangers or roommates – were given performance feedback that one member produced the majority of the resources available to the dyad; the members of the dyad faced relatively scarce or abundant resources. Subjects indicated their individual allocation preferences and then negotiated the distribution of resources as a pair. Results indicate that all three factors are important predictors of the norms of distributive justice met by the individually preferred and dyadically negotiated allocations. Results also suggest that the degree of agreement between the norms implied by individually preferred allocations and dyadic agreements affect strangers' satisfaction with outcomes to a greater extent than roommates'.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, J.S. (1965). “Inequity in Social Exchange,” in L. Berkowitz (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology), Vol. 2, New York: Academic Press, pp. 267–299.
Aldrich, J.H., and F.D. Nelson. (1984). Linear Probability, Logit, and Probit Models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Allison, S.T., L.R. McQueen, and L.M. Schaerfl. (1992). “Social Decision Making Processes and the Equal Partitionment of Shared Resources.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 28, 23–42.
Austin, W. (1980). “Friendship and Fairness: Effects of Type of Relationship and Task Performance on Choice of Distribution Rules.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 6, 402–408.
Austin W., and N.C. McGinn. (1977). “Sex Differences in Choice of Distribution Rules.” Journal of Personality 45, 379–394.
Clark, M. (1987). “Evidence for the Effectiveness of Manipulations of Two Types of Relationships.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 12, 414–425.
Clark, M., and J. Mills. (1979). “Interpersonal Attraction in Exchange and Communal Relationships.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37, 12–24.
Clark, M., J. Mills, and D. Corcoran. (1989). “Keeping Track of Needs and Inputs of Friends and Strangers.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 15, 533–542.
Cohen, R.L. (1991). “Justice and negotiation,” in M. Bazerman, R. Lewicki, and B. Sheppard (eds.), Research on Negotiation in Organizations, Vol. 3, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, pp. 259–282.
Coon, R.C., I.M. Lane, and R.J. Litchman. (1974). “Sufficiency of Reward and Allocation Behavior.” Human Development 17, 301–313.
Cook, K.S., and K.A. Hegtvedt. (1983). “Distributive Justice, Equity, and Equality.” Annual Review of Sociology 9, 217–241.
Cook, K.S., and T.L. Parcel. (1977). “Equity Theory: Directions for Future Research.” Sociological Inquiry 47, 75–80.
Deutsch, M. (1975). “Equity, Equality, and Need: What Determines which Value Will be Used as the Basis of Distributive Justice?” Journal of Social Issues 31, 137–149.
Deutsch, M. (1985). Distributive Justice. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Fry, W., I. Firestone, and D. Williams. (1983). “Negotiation Process and Outcome of Stranger Dyads and Dating Couples: Do Lovers Lose? Basic and Applied Social Psychology 4, 1–16.
Greenburg, J. (1981). “The Justice of Distributing Scarce and Abundant Resources,” in M.J. Lerner, and S.C. Lerner (eds.), The Justice Motive in Social Behavior, New York: Plenum Press, pp. 289–316.
Greenburg, J. (1990). “Looking Fair vs. Being Fair,” in B. Staw, and L. Cummings (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 12, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, pp. 111–158.
Gross, S.E. (1995). Compensation for Teams. New York: American Management Association.
Kabanoff, B. (1991). “Equity, Equality, Power, and Conflict.” Academy of Management Review 16, 416–441.
Kelley, H., and J. Thibaut. (1978). Interpersonal Relations: A Theory of Interdependence. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Knoke, D., and P.J. Burke. (1980). Log-Linear Models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Lamm, H., and T. Schwinger. (1980). “Norms Concerning Distributive Justice: Are Needs Taken into Consideration in Allocation Decisions?” Social Psychology Quarterly 43, 425–429.
Lerner, M.J., and L.A. Whitehead. (1980). “Procedural Justice Viewed in the Context of Justice Notice Theory,” in G. Mikula (ed.), Justice and Social Interaction, New York: Springer-Verlag.
Leventhal, G.S. (1976). “Fairness in Social Relationships,” in J. Thibaut, J. Spence, and R. Carson (eds.), Contemporary Topics in Social Psychology, Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press, pp. 211–240.
Leventhal, G.S., J. Karuza, Jr., and W.R. Fry. (1980). “Beyond Fairness: A Theory of Allocation Preferences,” in G. Mikula (ed.), Justice and Social Interaction, New York: Springer-Verlag.
Loewenstein, G.F., L.L. Thompson, M.H. Bazerman. (1989). “Social Utility and Decision Making in Interpersonal Contexts.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57, 426–441.
Major, B., W. Bylsma, and C. Cozzarelli. (1989). “Gender Differences in Distributive Justice Preferences: The Impact of Domain.” Sex Roles 21, 487–497.
McLean Parks, J., T.L. Boles, D.E. Conslon, E. DeSouza, W. Gatewood, K. Gibson, J.J. Halpern, D.C. Locke, J.C. Nekich, P. Straub, G. Wilson, and J.K. Murnighan. (1996). “Distributing Adventitious Outcomes: Social Norms, Egocentric Martyrs, and the Effects on Future Relationships.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 64, 249–260.
Meindl, J.R. (1989). “Managing to be Fair: An Exploration of Values, Motives, and Leadership.” Administrative Science Quarterly 34, 252–276.
Messick, D.M. (1993). “Equality as a Decision Heuristic,” in B. Meller, and J. Baron (eds.), Psychological Perspectives on Justice: Theory and Application, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Messick, D.M., and T. Schell. 1992). “Evidence for an Equality Heuristic in Social Decision Making.” Acta Psychologica 80, 311–323.
Polzer, J.T., M.A. Neale, and P.O. Glenn. (1993). “The Effects of Relationships and Justification in an Interdependent Allocation Task.” Group Decision and Negotiation 2, 135–148.
Rescher, N.P. (1966). Distribution Justice. New York: Bobbs-Merrill.
Ross, M., and J.H. Ellard. (1986). “On Winnowing: The Impact of Scarcity on Allocators' Evaluations of a Candidate for a Resource.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 22, 374–388.
Schwinger, T. (1980). “Just Allocations of Goods: Decisions among Three Principles,” in G. Mikula (ed.), Justice and Social Interactions, Bern: Hans Huber.
Shapiro, E.G. (1975). “Effect of Expectations of Future Interaction on Reward Allocations in Dyads: Equity or Equality.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 31, 873–880.
Tornblum, K.Y. (1988). “Positive and Negative Allocations: A Typology and a Model for Conflicting Justice Principles” in E.J. Lawler, and B. Markovsky (eds.), Advances in Group Processes Volume 5, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, pp. 141–168.
Tripp, T.M., H. Sondak, and R.J. Bies. (1995). “Justice as Rationality: A Relational Perspective on Fairness in Negotiations,” in R.J. Bies, R. Lewicki, and B. Sheppard (eds.), Research in Negotiation in Organizations, Vol. 5, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Valley K., M.A. Neale, and E.A. Mannix. (1995). “Friends, Lovers, Colleagues, Strangers: The Effects of Relationships on the Process and Outcome of Dyadic Negotiations,” in R.J. Bies, R. Lewicki, and B. Sheppard (eds.), Research in Negotiation in Organizations, Vol. 5, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sondak, H., Neale, M.A. & Pinkley, R.L. Relationship, Contribution, and Resource Constrains: Determinants of Distributive Justice in Individual Preferences and Negotiated Agreements. Group Decision and Negotiation 8, 489–510 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008621323435
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008621323435