The Effects of Cohesiveness on Distributive Justice

Exchange theorists assume that equitable sharing is normative in all interpersonal exchanges. However, it was reasoned that one's definition of the relationship is a major factor in determining how people share. Subjects (N = 140) assigned to either a cohesive or noncohesive condition and paired with an opposite-sex confederate partner were asked to share a $7 reward after being required to contribute more inputs to an enterprise than their partners. Those in the cohesive relationship shared equally even after contributing more inputs; those not cohesively bonded did not. Only partial support was received for the hypothesis that subjects with high prosocial orientation would not differ in sharing in the cohesive condition but would share equally in the noncohesive condition more frequently than their low prosocial counterparts.