Positive Reciprocity Research Articles

Reciprocity and prosocial behavior in democratic dynamic

Prosocial behavior (CP) currently presents some conceptual overlaps with the construct of reciprocity, understood here as a lubricant of democratic dynamics. The proposed study is based on a research agreement between the Universities of Palermo and Malaga, to test the relationship between CP and reciprocity and the multiple dimensions that intervene on the two constructs at the individual, interpersonal and community level. A structural equation model (with the Lisrel method) was used to assess whether the principle of equity, belief in a just world, sense of community and neighborhood norm increase CP and whether this together with worldview and social trust, in turn, increase positive reciprocity and decrease negative reciprocity. The analyses presented are partial and concern the sample of Palermo, consisting of 307 subjects, residing in the eight districts of the city. From the analysis of the data, the parameters of the model are satisfactory even if the effect of the sense of community is not significant.

Gratitude letters to nature: Effects on self-nature representations and pro-environmental behavioral intentions

Although gratitude is often defined as an emotion that motivates reciprocity and social connectedness, people can also experience gratitude to nonhuman entities such as nature. Despite expressions of gratitude to nature being common in many cultures, little research has examined its implications for sustainability. In two studies, we explored how writing letters of gratitude to nature increase pro-environmental behavior by leading people to see nature as large and by leading to more inclusion of nature in one's self-concept. Study 1 compared the effects of nature gratitude letters to gratitude letters to built environments and to a control condition, finding that nature gratitude letters led to greater inclusion of nature in self and greater perceptions of nature size. Although there was no direct effect on intentions to act pro-environmentally, nature gratitude letters had indirect effects leading to greater pro-environmental intentions via both increased nature size and nature inclusion. Study 2 replicated these findings and explored two potential moderators: biospheric value orientation and personal norms of positive reciprocity. Replicating Study 1, nature gratitude letters led to more nature inclusion and greater nature size, and they produced stronger self-transcendent emotions and more pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Further, an interaction showed that the benefits of nature gratitude letters on pro-environmental behavioral intentions was only significant among those with relatively greater endorsement of biospheric values. Implications for sustainability and emotions research are discussed.

Connectome-based prediction of decreased trust propensity in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Trust propensity (TP) relies more on social than economic rationality to transform the perceived probability of betrayal into positive reciprocity expectations in older adults with normal cognition. While deficits in social rationality have been observed in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), there is limited research on TP and its associated resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) mechanisms in this population. To measure TP and related psychological functions (affect, motivation, executive cognition, and social cognition), MCI (n = 42) and normal healthy control (NHC, n = 115) groups completed a one-shot trust game and additional assessments of related psychological functions. RSFC associated with TP was analyzed using connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) and lesion simulations. Our behavioral results showed that the MCI group trusted less (i.e., had lower TP) than the NHC group, with lower TP associated with higher sensitivity to the probability of betrayal in the MCI group. In the MCI group, only negative CPM models (RSFC negatively correlated with TP) significantly predicted TP, with a high salience network (SN) contribution. In contrast, in the NHC group, positive CPM models (RSFC positively correlated with TP) significantly predicted TP, with a high contribution from the default mode network (DMN). In addition, the total network strength of the NHC-specific positive network was lower in the MCI group than in the NHC group. Our findings demonstrated a decrease in TP in the MCI group compared to the NHC group, which is associated with deficits in social rationality (social cognition, associated with DMN) and increased sensitivity to betrayal (affect, associated with SN) in a trust dilemma. In conclusion, our study contributes to understanding MCI-related alterations in trust and their underlying neural mechanisms.

More on the Influence of Gender Equality on Gender Differences in Economic Preferences

Abstract This study replicates and extends the work of Falk and Hermle (2018. “Relationship of Gender Differences in Preferences to Economic Development and Gender Equality.” Science 362 (6412): eaas9899), who hypothesized that gender differences in economic preferences (patience, altruism, willingness to take risks, negative and positive reciprocity, and trust) were related to economic development and gender equality. While we were able to replicate their main results, we found that a number of methodological choices called for reexamination. Specifically, the use of an ad hoc gender equality index built by the authors lacked systematic justification, which led us to employ solely well-established indexes from gender studies in the subsequent analysis. This new analysis confirmed a positive and statistically significant association between aggregated gender differences in economic preferences and economic development conditional on gender equality. However, in contrast to the original article, the evidence of the relationship between gender differences and gender equality conditional on economic development was weak. We also investigated the relationships for the separate economic preferences and found that economic development predicts gender differences in all six preferences, whereas gender equality seems to have a negligible or null influence on most of them. Our findings provide a more nuanced view of the gender differences in economic preferences, with possible implications for policy-making.

Enhancing organizational citizenship behaviour: role of collectivism in soft total quality management

PurposeSoft total quality management (STQM) practices are essential for promoting value-added organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among employees in quality-focussed manufacturing firms. This study intends to investigate how STQM practices (empowerment, training, teamwork and involvement) affect OCB under the moderating influence of collectivism among employees for excellence in business performance using social exchange and social cognitive theories (SET-SCT).Design/methodology/approachA total of 245 useable surveys were gathered from manufacturers. Given the importance of the two-staged structural equation modelling–partial least squares–artificial neural networks (SEM-PLS-ANN) technique, this study used a two-staged SEM-PLS-ANN analysis to capture both linear and compensatory PLS models and nonlinear and noncompensatory ANN models.FindingsThe findings confirmed that empowerment, involvement and training had a significant impact on OCB. However, teamwork had no impact on OCB. Interestingly, collectivism was found to have a significant and positive moderating effect on training and OCB.Originality/valueThe study contributes significantly to the literature on TQM and human resource management. First, the study broadens researchers’ understanding of how to apply SET by including a collective value from SCT as positive reciprocity to foster positive workplace behaviour. Second, the authors offer a solid management strategy for organizations to assist them in understanding an STQM model that promotes OCB while including collectivism for superior business performance.

Effect of Ethical Leadership on Knowledge Sharing: A Mediating Model of Moral Efficacy and Positive Reciprocity

In the banking industry of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the current study examined the direct and indirect effects of EL on employees' KS through positive reciprocity and moral efficacy. The study used G*power analysis to determine an acceptable sample size in order to meet its objectives. Based on power, effect size, and significant level, G*Power was used to determine that the sample size of 291 is suitable for this investigation. A survey questionnaire was used to gather information from the intended respondents. It was verified that the scale was reliable. It was discovered that EL and employee KS have a strong correlation. It implies that if a business has EL, then its personnel will exhibit high levels of KS behaviors. Furthermore, it was discovered that the association between EL and KS is partially mediated by moral efficacy and positive reciprocity. Because of this, the link between EL KS and moral efficacy is not entirely direct; rather, some effects flow directly through moral efficacy and positive reciprocity. Future research directions and implications were also emphasized.

Mapping the empirical relationship between environmental performance and social preferences: Evidence from macro data

This paper investigates the relationship between measures of environmental performance and of social preferences, thanks to the availability of a recently published dataset on global pref- erences. Using cross-sectional observations from 76 countries, this study finds evidence from macro data of a positive and statistically significant relationship between measures of proso- cial preferences, such as positive reciprocity, trust, and altruism, and environmental policy indicators in the categories of agriculture, forestry, and climate change after controlling for economic and geospatial factors. At the micro level, the results presented in this paper suggest a broader theory of collective action that is based on a behavioral approach to climate policy to mitigate motivational crowd out in settings of high reciprocity and trust. At the macro level, the results presented in this paper suggest a broader theory of climate clubs that includes pro- social preferences, such as positive reciprocity, trust, and altruism, as key cooperation mech- anisms in International Environmental Agreements.

My supervisor distresses me! Examining three-way interaction in the hospitality setting

PurposeThis paper examines the moderated-moderation model of reciprocity belief and fear of negative evaluation between supervisors' abusive reactions and subordinates' distress.Design/methodology/approachThe authors obtained 412 valid responses from Egyptian hotel employees and analyzed them using PROCESS model 3.FindingsThe three-way interaction findings proved that when employees have high reciprocity beliefs and low fear of negative evaluations, the abusive supervision-psychological distress relationship is dampened.Practical implicationsOrganizations have the opportunity to implement human resource development (HRD) strategies focused on cultivating reduced apprehension toward negative evaluation and fostering a robust sense of positive reciprocity. To achieve this, HRD and HRM initiatives can encompass elements such as bolstering organizational and coworker support, promoting cultural assimilation and redefining work practices.Originality/valueThis paper adopts a comprehensive approach that recognizes the intricate interrelationships within the workplace by identifying subtle dynamics of abusive supervision and its impacts. It also explores the complex nature of such relationships rather than taking a purely causal perspective.

I Help You, You Help Me: Interracial Reciprocity in Situation Comedies Influences Racial Attitudes

ABSTRACT In this manuscript, three studies examined the effects of viewing situation comedies on attitudes toward Black Americans. Study 1 was a content analysis of sitcoms that had either predominately Black casts (PBC) or predominately White casts (PWC) and showcased interracial interaction. It is found that positive cross-racial interaction (interracial reciprocity) occurs in both types of shows but is more common with PBC sitcoms. Study 2 was a survey that found watching PBC sitcoms was associated with reduced prejudice, while watching PWC sitcoms was associated with increased prejudice. These effects were mediated by positive reciprocity expectations for Black Americans, as explicated by Bounded Generalized Reciprocity theory. Study 3 was an experiment that found exposure to increased scenes of interracial reciprocity in PBC was associated with less negative attitudes toward Black Americans through the mechanism of reduced negative reciprocity expectations. Overall, we found sitcoms are associated with activating racial prejudice. However, the direction of these beliefs is in part determined by if the casts of these shows are predominantly Black or White.

Religion and cooperation across the globe

Social science research has stressed the important role of religion in sustaining cooperation among non-kin. We contribute to this multidisciplinary literature with a large-scale empirical study documenting the relationship between religion and cooperation. We analyze newly available, experimentally validated, and globally representative data on social preferences and world religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism). We find that individuals who report believing in such religions exhibit more prosocial preferences, as measured by their levels of positive reciprocity, altruism and trust. We further document heterogeneous patterns of negative reciprocity and punishment—two key elements for cooperation—across world religions. The association between religion and prosocial preferences is stronger in more populous societies and weaker in countries with better formal institutions. The interactive results between these variables point again towards the substitutability between religious and secular institutions, when it comes to sustaining cooperation.

To voice or not to voice? Employee caring practice, employee gratitude, and positive reciprocity norm in the hospitality industry

Drawing on principles of reciprocity, we hypothesize that employee caring practice influences employee voice behavior through employee gratitude. Furthermore, the extent to which employee gratitude affects employee voice behavior depends on the employee’s positive reciprocity norm, such that the positive direct relationship between employee gratitude and employee voice behavior is enhanced among employees with a higher level of positive reciprocity norm. We tested our hypotheses with a multisource and multilevel data collected from 54 hotels, 226 teams, and 876 frontline employees in China. Consistent with our theoretical arguments, the empirical results of this study confirmed the hypotheses. These findings shed new insight into how organizations in the hospitality industry can promote frontline employee voice behavior.

Impact of Social Preferences, Trust and Behavioural Norms on Cooperation: Experimental Evidence from Prisoner’s Dilemma Game

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of social preferences, trust and behavioural norms on strategic choices made by economic agents using the framework of a one-shot Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) game. The standard neoclassical economics model predicts that all players will choose a strategy of non-cooperation, establishing it as the Nash equilibrium. We examine how social preferences and behavioural norms influence the player’s expectations from others and their own choices, by experimentally testing for the same using a 2 × 2 factorial design with the following three levels of partner selection arrangements: (i) game playing with stranger, (ii) face-to-face game playing with peer, and (iii) game playing with friend. The experimental results reveal significant deviations from the standard predictions of the one-shot PD game. The experimental data revealed that (i) players while interacting with a peer cooperated significantly more than playing with a stranger and (ii) players playing with a friend cooperated significantly more than playing with a peer. These changes in the social preferences of the players were further investigated in terms of trust/distrust and four behavioural norms—positive reciprocity, negative reciprocity, exploitation and altruism, and how these factors interact in influencing decision-making with respect to cooperation. JEL Codes: C72, C91, D01, D91

Roles of reciprocity and fairness concerns in airline-airport systems with environmental considerations

Operations of airports and airlines are highly inter-dependent. Over the past decades, we have witnessed all kinds of alliances and coordination between airports and airlines. The observed industrial practices uncover that airports reward their airline partners with aligned objectives such as those in environmental sustainability, thereby displaying the positive reciprocity behaviors. However, the airport's preferential treatment towards a particular airline may induce the feeling of unfairness to the other airlines, leading to non-trivial peer-induced fairness concerns. In this paper, by building game-theoretic mathematical models, we analytically explore the impacts of reciprocity and fairness concerns on environmental sustainability in a single-airport two-airlines system. Our analysis highlights the importance of the cardinal relationship between an airport and airline(s) and shows that (i) a higher level of reciprocity of airport towards an airline helps improve the greening level, (ii) the presence of peer-induced fairness concern yields a lower revenue-sharing fraction of the fairness concerned airline, and (iii) improving the passengers’ environmental awareness is favorable for enhancing the environmental sustainability. To enhance research rigor, we examine various extended models. We show that the theoretical findings derived in the main model remain robust in the extensions.

The elite, inequality and the emergence of progressive taxation

This paper explores theoretically the role of the ruling elites in the rise of progressive taxation in Western countries in the early 20th century. We focus on their interaction with the level of inequality between the elites and other citizens. We analyse a stylized political economy dynamic model where (wealthy) elite make a decision on the taxes to be paid by non-elite (poorer) citizens and by themselves. A fraction of citizens are fiscal-reciprocators: they experience positive (negative) reciprocity under a progressive (regressive) tax system. This proportion of citizens evolves over time according to their relative payoff compared to materialist citizens. We show that the choice of tax structure depends on the value for the elite of the public good generated by tax revenues, the proportion of fiscal-reciprocators and on the level of inequality between elite and citizen incomes. Our results show a dynamic complementarity between the level of reciprocity in society and tax progressivity. Indeed, this complementarity only operates if inequality is sufficiently low. In this case a progressive tax culture will be achieved, otherwise a regressive tax culture will prevail.

Making the invisible, visible: older lesbian, gay and bisexual victim-survivors’ “lived experiences” of domestic abuse

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the use of coproduction to create a film “Do You See Me?”, to amplify the voices of a “hard to reach” group: older lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) victim-survivors of domestic abuse (DA).Design/methodology/approachQualitative methods were used as part of the co-production, which included two practitioner focus groups and 14 narrative interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning persons or the community (LGBTQ+) victim-survivors.FindingsDespite differences in gender, sexualities, roles and “lived experiences” across stakeholders, there was a shared aim to ensure victim-survivors had a sense of ownership in this endeavour. Consequently, a positive reciprocity existed that helped to foster effective communication, allow for capacity building and subsequent knowledge exchange. The collaboration produced a nuanced meta-narrative making visible the “lived experiences” of LGB victim-survivors’ perceptions of perpetrator behaviours.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is original in two ways, firstly, providing insights into the “lived experiences” of an invisible group; older LGBTQ+ victim-survivors, and secondly, in involving them in the co-production of a film. The paper aims to reveal how interdependencies that developed between stakeholders helped to disrupt understandings, develop new ways of knowing and build levels of trust. Group interactions helped to dismantle hierarchies, so those with experiential knowledge: the survivors, had greater control throughout the research process. The paper is significant in providing a critical reflection on the ethical, methodological and resource challenges involved in co-production. It also makes recommendations for researchers and funders about the value of using co-production as a method to engage with hard-to-reach groups.

Pay or nudge employees into change? A theoretical and experimental investigation of the effect of nudging for organizational change

AbstractOrganizational change often fails due to employees' resistance to change resulting in unforeseen expenses, delays, or other disruptions in organizations. In our experiment, we compare behavioral interventions—a pro‐change default rule and a pro‐change recommendation—with a costly pay raise to foster supportive behavior. In regard to the pure nudge used (default), we support its effectiveness in enhancing change‐related success. In line with our model and based on the assumption of low decision confidence in change settings, we find that a preference nudge (recommendation) lacks a corresponding effect. In addition, we find that a pay raise has a positive effect that is likely to be triggered by positive reciprocity. If this pay raise fails to materialize, we report supporting evidence for negative reciprocity. We compare the effect sizes for these nudges and the pay raise and provide insights for the relative cost‐effectiveness of such nudges compared to a pay raise for organizational change. We conclude with managerial implications.

Cognitive proximity for innovation: Why matters? an applied analysis.

The purpose of this research is to deepen the study of the influence of cognitive proximity has on the innovative performance of firms, as well as the mediating effect of potential and realized absorptive capacity in this relationship. For this purpose, an empirical analysis has been carried out. The primary data have been analyzed by means of PLS-SEM technique. The results show that the cognitive proximity of firms has both a direct and an indirect impact on their innovative performance, through their potential and realized absorptive capacity. We conclude that cognitive proximity matters for the innovation performance of firms, as it facilitates the understanding and establishment of positive reciprocity agreements between the companies, especially in terms of knowledge. Nevertheless, firms must develop a great capability to absorb new knowledge to exploit the advantages derived from its cognitive proximity to its stakeholders and leverage all the knowledge within their reach.

Corporate political activity and the constraint of stakeholder reciprocity

Corporate political activity (CPA) has been linked to significant problems, such as agency costs for firms and the weakening of democratic institutions. We explain a previously unexplored problem of CPA: the constraint of negative stakeholder reciprocity. Reciprocity is a ubiquitous phenomenon that adds a moral dimension to markets. A robust stakeholder theory literature explains how treating stakeholders generously improves firm performance through patterns of positive reciprocity, and treating stakeholders poorly diminishes performance through patterns of negative reciprocity. Some firms, however, use CPA to avoid negative reciprocity and its economic consequences while treating at least some of their stakeholders poorly. We describe the elements necessary for reciprocity and explain how CPA targets and impairs these elements. Because reciprocity is a market governance mechanism, the intentional constraint of negative reciprocity tends to result in stakeholder mistreatment and market inefficiency.

Learner Autonomy in Team-based Learning: A Case Study of Mechanical Engineering Education

Abstract :Team-based learning (TBL) has been increasingly applied in engineering and science education over the past decade. This study explores a particular TBL approach used in a mechanical engineering module for second-year undergraduates in Taiwan. The results of a survey on these students’ learner autonomy (LA), perceptions of TBL, engagement with TBL, self-reported contributions and concerns about TBL activities were analyzed along with their academic performance. The results suggested that LA played a crucial role in TBL, especially contribution to group work, and that classroom implementations should therefore make it a priority to boost LA. In addition, positive reciprocity was found to be operating during group work. Group differences were found in issues the students expressed concern about. Students who cared about fairness had higher LA and were more likely to contribute to team tasks whilst some students could have been less engaged in group activities due to poororganizational structure. Several challenges were also observed in this study. They included passive learners, classroom-management problems, free-riding, and limited resources. Based on our findings, we recommend that engineering instructors encourage student-teacher communication by using bonus-point incentives, student experts, peer evaluation and group competitions. Keywords : Learner autonomy, mechanical engineering education, Taiwan, Team-based learning.

Understanding antecedents of active product recommendations behaviour in online social networking communities

The intention to promote voluntary product recommendation by individuals in the community during online social contact has aroused more and more interest. At present, in a network community composed of consumers, the reasons for personal active product recommendation by consumers are not obvious. In order to further explore the personal active product recommendation behaviour in the community during online social contact and the key factors that influence this behaviour, we have developed a model that, based on the Cognitive Emotion Theory, examines the reciprocal relationships in the community environment and the emotional impact of community homogeneity on the sense of community belonging and community receptivity, which ultimately influences the subsequent active product recommendation behaviour of individuals. The SEM-PLS technique was used to analyse the data collected from a questionnaire survey of 480 WeChat community users. The results of the study show that good community reciprocity and homogeneity have a positive impact on a sense of community belonging and receptivity, and these factors in turn have a positive impact on active product recommendation behaviour. The implications of these findings for both theory and practice are discussed, including the importance of fostering positive reciprocity and homogeneity in online communities to increase individuals’ active product recommendation behaviour. The findings provide insights for online community administrators on how to foster a sense of community belonging and receptivity, which can ultimately lead to a more active and engaged community.