Toward a Reconciliation of Diverging Perspectives on Interindividual-Intergroup Discontinuity: The Role of Procedural Interdependence

Abstract

This experiment investigated the effect of procedural interdependence on interindividual–intergroup discontinuity (i.e., the tendency within mixed-motive situations for intergroup interactions to be more competitive than interindividual interactions) in Dutch and U.S. college populations. Groups composed of members who were procedurally interdependent, groups composed of members who were procedurally independent, and individuals interacted with a programmed other on three trials of a Prisoner's Dilemma Game. Results across trials indicate that procedurally interdependent group members were more competitive than pooled procedurally independent group members and individuals. The latter two conditions did not differ significantly. No significant effects involving participant nationality were observed. We propose that these findings reconcile diverging perspectives on interindividual–intergroup discontinuity.