Joachim Hüffmeier

A meta-analysis on gender differences in negotiation outcomes and their moderators.

This meta-analysis investigates gender differences in economic negotiation outcomes. As suggested by role congruity theory, we assume that the behaviors that increase economic negotiation outcomes are more congruent with the male as compared with the female gender role, thereby presenting challenges for womens negotiation performance and reducing their outcomes. Importantly, this main effect is predicted to be moderated by person-based, situation-based, and task-based influences that make effective negotiation behavior more congruent with the female gender role, which should in turn reduce or even reverse gender differences in negotiation outcomes. Using a multilevel modeling approach, this meta-analysis includes 123 effect sizes (overall N = 10,888, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as businesspeople). Studies were included when they enabled the calculation of an effect size reflecting gender differences in achieved economic negotiation outcomes. As predicted, men achieved better economic outcomes than women on average, but gender differences strongly depended on the context: Moderator analysis revealed that gender differences favoring men were reduced when negotiators had negotiation experience, when they received information about the bargaining range, and when they negotiated on behalf of another individual. Moreover, gender differences were reversed under conditions of the lowest predicted role incongruity for women. In conclusion, gender differences in negotiations are contextually bound and can be subject to change. Future research is needed that investigates the underlying mechanisms of new moderators revealed in the current research (e.g., experience). Implications for theoretical explanations of gender differences in negotiation outcomes, for gender inequalities in the workplace, and for future research are discussed.

Contrasting chronic with episodic depression: An analysis of distorted socio-emotional information processing in chronic depression

BACKGROUND The specific features that differentiate chronic and episodic depression are widely unknown. This study compares the chronic and episodic form of depression with regard to two domains of socio-emotional information processing: Decoding of other peoples emotional states (Theory of Mind) and the perception of own emotions (alexithymia). METHOD This study compares 30 chronically and 29 episodically depressed patients by tapping into Theory of Mind deficits with a multi-method approach and by assessing alexithymic deficits. Furthermore, a retrospective assessment of adverse relational childhood experiences is administered. RESULTS The observed results reveal distorted information processing in only one of the two domains: Chronically depressed patients scored higher in alexithymia than episodically depressed patients, while no group differences in the domain of Theory of Mind were found. Moreover, alexithymia was found to mediate the influence of adverse relational childhood experiences on depression type (chronic vs. episodic). LIMITATIONS Due to the reliance on retrospective and self-report data, results should be interpreted with due caution. In addition, the cross-sectional design limits causal conclusions. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest a potentially central role of the deficient perception of own emotions in causing or maintaining chronic depression. Derived practical implications include a focus on the perception of own emotions in the psychotherapy of chronic depression. If future research continues to uncover systematic differences in the psychopathology of chronic and episodic depression, chronicity should be more strongly considered when classifying unipolar depressive disorders.

Does trust matter more in virtual teams? A meta-analysis of trust and team effectiveness considering virtuality and documentation as moderators.

Team trust has often been discussed both as requirement and as challenge for team effectiveness, particularly in virtual teams. However, primary studies on the relationship between trust and team effectiveness have provided mixed findings. The current review summarizes existing studies on team trust and team effectiveness based on meta-analytic methodology. In general, we assumed team trust to facilitate coordination and cooperation in teams, and therefore to be positively related with team effectiveness. Moreover, team virtuality and documentation of interactions were considered as moderators of this relationship because they should affect perceived risks during teamwork. While team virtuality should increase, documentation of interaction should decrease the relationship between team trust and team effectiveness. Findings from 52 studies with 54 independent samples (representing 12,615 individuals in 1,850 teams) confirmed our assumptions. In addition to the positive overall relationship between team trust and team effectiveness criteria (ρ = .33), the relationship between team trust and team performance was stronger in virtual teams (ρ = .33) as compared to face-to-face teams (ρ = .22), and weaker when team interactions were documented (ρ = .20) as compared to no such documentation (ρ = .29). Thus, documenting team interactions seems to be a viable complement to trust-building activities, particularly in virtual teams. (PsycINFO Database Record

Decision making in depression: differences in decisional conflict between healthy and depressed individuals

This study investigated differences in the emergence of decisional conflict in healthy and depressed participants. The two groups of interest were questioned about their experience of decisional conflict and ongoing thoughts and impressions during decision making. As predicted, depressed participants experienced more decisional conflict than healthy participants. Furthermore, the diverse processes hypothesis was supported: In healthy participants, preoccupation with the task was the only predictor of decisional conflict. In depressed participants, decisional conflict was predicted by a combination of depression-related processes (e.g., low self-efficacy, lack of concentration, rumination, etc.). This research reduces the gap between the relevance of the symptom of indecisiveness (e.g., for diagnostic purposes) and the lack of knowledge in this realm of psychopathology.

How "situational" is judgment in situational judgment tests?

Whereas situational judgment tests (SJTs) have traditionally been conceptualized as low-fidelity simulations with an emphasis on contextualized situation descriptions and context-dependent knowledge, a recent perspective views SJTs as measures of more general domain (context-independent) knowledge. In the current research, we contrasted these 2 perspectives in 3 studies by removing the situation descriptions (i.e., item stems) from SJTs. Across studies, the traditional contextualized SJT perspective was not supported for between 43% and 71% of the items because it did not make a significant difference whether the situation description was included or not for these items. These results were replicated across construct domains, samples, and response instructions. However, there was initial evidence that judgment in SJTs was more situational when (a) items measured job knowledge and skills and (b) response options denoted context-specific rules of action. Verbal protocol analyses confirmed that high scorers on SJTs without situation descriptions relied upon general rules about the effectiveness of the responses. Implications for SJT theory, research, and design are discussed.

Being Tough or Being Nice? A Meta-Analysis on the Impact of Hard- and Softline Strategies in Distributive Negotiations

A meta-analysis (34 studies) is reported on the impact of hard- and softline bargaining strategies on economic (135 effect sizes) and socioemotional negotiation outcomes (30 effect sizes) in distributive negotiations. As expected, hardline strategies lead to higher economic outcomes, whereas softline strategies lead to higher socioemotional outcomes. Moreover, moderator variables are derived from the graduated reciprocation in tension-reduction model and the level of aspiration theory that are expected to qualify the relation of bargaining strategies and achieved economic outcomes. In accordance with this theoretical background, moderator analyses reveal that hardline negotiators gain the highest economic outcomes when visual contact is possible, when the opposing party is male, when negotiators are instructed to maximize individual outcomes, and when they know the bargaining zone. Also in line with the theoretical assumptions, softline negotiators gain the highest economic outcomes when they accurately reciprocate the opposing party’s concessionary behavior. Contrary to the predictions, softline bargaining does, however, not prevail when the risk and cost of impasses are high. Based on the reported findings, needs for future research and theory building are identified and discussed.

Does it take two to Tango?: Longitudinal effects of unilateral and bilateral integrative negotiation training

This study assesses longitudinal effects of different training designs on joint negotiation performance. In so doing, the study experimentally compares (a) bilateral training of both the seller and the buyer within a dyad with both (b) a no-training control condition and 2 conditions with unilateral training of either (c) the buyer or (d) the seller. Moreover, underlying psychological mechanisms of the training effect are assessed. Results of the study with 360 participants reveal a significant overall training effect on negotiation outcomes that remains stable over time. Consistent with our hypotheses, unilateral negotiation training is only effective if the trained party is the seller, and it fails if the trained party is the buyer. Additional mediation analyses reveal exchange of priority-related information as a causal mechanism underlying these effects.

When yielding pieces of the pie is not a piece of cake: Identity-based intergroup effects in negotiations

The present research intends to shed light on an identity-based intergroup effect in negotiations by demonstrating that the mere perception of the negotiation as an instance of intergroup interaction suffices to impair the negotiation process and to deteriorate its outcomes. It was predicted that negotiators’ salient group identities increase their competitive perceptions, reduce their concession behavior, and consequently lead to inferior negotiation outcomes. Study 1 revealed that solo negotiators with salient group identities achieved lower joint outcomes than negotiators with salient individual identities. Study 2 systematically explored the underlying mechanisms of this identity-based intergroup effect by analyzing negotiators’ concession-making behaviors over the course of the negotiation. The results of the second experiment replicate the findings of the first study and further show that the detrimental effect of an identity-based intergroup context will occur in distributive as well as integrative negotiations. The findings of the present research are discussed with respect to their contribution to future research on intergroup negotiation.

Effort Intentions in Teams Effects of Task Type and Teammate Performance

Theoretical models of individual motivation in groups represent overt effort intentions as precursors of observable effort expenditure in a group context. We examined established triggers of group motivation gains in a scenario-based paradigm, exploring which of these triggers are already manifested at the level of effort intentions. We expected higher effort intentions during teamwork as compared with individual work when teamwork enabled one of the following processes: social compensation, social comparison, or social indispensability. Fifty-seven basketball players (Study 1) and 97 adolescents (Study 2) were asked to imagine individual and team sports situations and to indicate their intended effort in these situations. Features of the team situations were manipulated following a 2 (task demands: conjunctive vs. additive) × 4 (partner performance: inferior, equally strong, moderately superior, very superior) design. Results showed that social compensation, social comparison, and social indispensability were already at work at the level of overt effort intentions.

Ready to be a Silver Surfer? A Meta-analysis on the Relationship Between Chronological Age and Technology Acceptance

Abstract This meta-analysis addresses two major issues of our time: the proliferation of technologies and the aging of society. That is, we investigate how chronological age relates to technology acceptance. Pertinent primary studies reported inconsistent results. To integrate this literature, the current meta-analysis includes 144 studies covering different types of technologies and technology users in a random effects model. In line with our theorizing, we found that age was overall negatively related to perceived ease of use (ρ = −.25), perceived usefulness (ρ = −.09), and intention to use a technology (ρ = −.07). These effects were stable over time and thus no mere cohort effects. A meta-analytic mediation model revealed that the links from age to (a) perceived usefulness and (b) intention to use were both fully mediated through perceived ease of use. Furthermore, results were moderated by type of technology, such that age-effects were only evident for technologies that do not address the prevailing needs of older adults. We conclude that age is only related to specific technology perceptions (perceived ease of use) and only for specific technologies. Thus, we challenge prevailing age stereotypes and call for an age-sensitive design of specific technologies.