Reciprocity towards groups: a laboratory experiment on the causes

David Hugh-Jones and Martin Leroch

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: Field studies of conflict report cycles of mutual revenge between groups, often linked to perceptions of intergroup injustice. We test the hypothesis that people are predisposed to reciprocateagainst groups. In a computerized laboratory experiment, subjects who were harmed by a partner’s uncooperative action reacted by harming other members of the partner’s group. This group reciprocity was only observed when one group was seen to be unfairly advantaged. Our results support a behavioral mechanism leading from perceived injustice to intergroup conflict. We discuss the relevance of group reciprocity to economic and political phenomena including conflict, discrimination and team competition.

Date: 2012
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