The Effects of Contribution Framing on Perceptions of Justice and Status in Task Groups

• In Event: 123 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions and Section on Sociology of Mental Health).
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 06. Group Processes

Abstract

Previous research shows that individuals’ justice evaluations are shaped by their surrounding social contexts such as social status and the way in which information on contribution and/or reward is framed. This study expands and integrates theories of equity, multilevel justice (MJT), and status characteristics (SCT) to examine the perceptual, emotional, and behavioral effects of contribution framing. This study explicitly focuses on contribution behaviors and investigates a focal actor’s perceptions of injustice that occur when another actor, or actors, contributes more or less than what is considered as just in status-differentiated task groups and clarifies variations in justice judgements in situations where contribution to collective tasks is framed as a valued (e.g. collective gain) or devalued (e.g. personal loss) behavior. In order to illuminate interactions of justice, status, and framing effects in contribution situations, this research addresses the following research questions: (i) how framing contribution to collective tasks as a valued or devalued behavior enhances or inhibits group members’ willingness to contribute and moderates the perceived injustice, (ii) how possessing high or low status creates varying contribution expectations and feelings of injustice, (iii) whether or not contribution framing influences each status possessor’s high or low contributions differently, and (iv) whether or not experiences of injustice resulting from different status possessors’ high and low contributions in differently framed situations lead to various justice-restoring attempts and punitive reactions towards injustice. To answer these questions the hypotheses operationalized to be tested in standardized laboratory settings.

Author

• Hatice Atilgan, University of South Carolina