THE SOCIAL-CONTEXT OF NEGOTIATION - EFFECTS OF SOCIAL IDENTITY AND INTERPERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ON NEGOTIATOR DECISION-MAKING

The present research investigated the effects of social identification and interpersonal accountability on negotiator judgment and decision making. Using arguments derived from social identity theory, the autho rs hypothesized that salience of a common or shared social identity wi ll heighten negotiators' concern about the other party's outcomes, res ulting in a preference for greater equality. Extrapolating from recent research on the effects of accountability on judgment and decision ma king, they also argued that preference for equality of outcomes will b e stronger when interpersonal accountability between negotiators is hi gh. To investigate these hypotheses, the authors conducted a laborator y study. The study employed a 2 x 2 design, in which the salience of i ndividuals' level of social identification (low versus high) and degre e of interpersonal accountability (low versus high) was varied. The re sults supported both of the major hypotheses. The findings are discuss ed in terms of their implications for a social contextualist account o f negotiator cognition and behavior. The authors argue that a social c ontextuatist account sheds light on why negotiators' outcomes often de viate from those predicted by normative or rational models of bargaini ng.