Value priorities, social value orientations and cooperation in social dilemmas

Investigating whether benevolent or universalism value types are more close ly related to social value orientations, a survey of 190 undergraduates eli cited value priorities, social value orientations and preferences for coope ration in a social dilemma. In analyses of the value priorities a benevolen ce, a universalism and several individualistic value types were revealed. I t was found that the priority ascribed to universalism but not to benevolen ce values successfully discriminated between participants whose social valu e orientations were classified as prosocial or proself. Almost as accuratel y as social value orientations, value priorities predicted preferences for cooperation in the social dilemma.