Roger T. Johnson

Influence strategy, perspective-taking, and relationships between high- and low-power individuals in cooperative and competitive contexts

Summary Sixty-four undergraduates negotiated an exchange of resources in dyads. They had either high or low power relative to the other and negotiated within a cooperative or a competitive context. The results indicate that within a competitive context unequal-power relationships resulted in the higher-power persons use of coercion and the low-power persons attempts to negotiate. Both high- and low-power Ss perceived their relationship to be dominated by egocentric focus on ones own goals and attempts to control the other to meet ones needs. Within a cooperative context, however, both high- and low-power Ss were highly inducible to each others influences, needed resources were provided to each other, high trust and liking occurred between Ss, and Ss were more accurate in understanding each others perspectives. Unequal power seems to have undermined negotiations within a competitive context while not detracting from effective working relationships within a cooperative context.

Effect of Partner's Effort and Ability on Liking for Partner After Failure on a Cooperative Task

Summary Fifty-two Canadian undergraduates participated in a cooperative task in which a confederate (C) (posing as an S) demonstrated high or low ability and high or low effort. All Ss failed on the task because of the low performance of the C. The results indicate that when future contact in work or social settings was assumed, high-effort partners were better liked than low-effort partners. On a simple rating of liking, within the low-ability conditions the low-effort partner was liked better than was the high-effort partner, while the reverse was true in the high-ability conditions. This interaction effect was also found on a behavior measure of willingness to give up ones own rewards to increase the rewards of the partner.