Attributions about self and others in commons dilemmas

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of self-harvest and resource management outcome on self–other attributions in a simulated commons dilemma. In groups of five or six, participants (n=171) managed a limited, shared, self-regenerating resource. Self-attributions to ignorance, concern for others, fear, and greed were compared to the same attributions made for cooperative and noncooperative others. The attributions were made in two contexts: efficient management and rapid resource depletion. As predicted, self-attributions resembled those made for similar others; heavy harvesters made similar attributions for themselves and noncooperative others, and light harvesters made similar attributions for themselves and the cooperative others. A self-serving bias was evident, especially among heavy harvesters. Attributions were also influenced by the context in which they were made; stronger attributions to ignorance, fear, and greed, and weaker attributions to concern for others were made when the resource pool was rapidly depleted than when it was managed efficiently.