How the quality of third parties' settlement solutions is affected by the relationship between negotiators

Leigh Thompson*, Peter H. Kim

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Observers watched videotapes of people negotiating. In half of the videotapes, the negotiators had a negative relationship; in the other half, the negotiators had a positive relationship. Some observers believed that the relationship was a genuine reflection of how the parties felt about one another; others were told that the behavior of negotiators was strategic (i.e., used by parties to gain advantage). Following the tape, observers recommended a settlement. Observers' suggestions were most efficient when the negotiators' relationship was positive and genuine; observers proposed significantly worse solutions when negotiators' relationships were negative and genuine. The authors advise mediators to focus on the issues rather than the emotional tone and to avoid the correspondence bias when observing conflicts among parties with negative relationships.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3-14
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2000

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

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