Proceeding from the distinction between communal and exchange relationships drawn in previous work, it was hypothesized that keeping track of the needs of a friend would be greater than keeping track of the needs of a stranger and that keeping track of a stranger's inputs into a joint task would be greater than keeping track of the inputs of a friend. These hypotheses were tested in an experiment in which the number of times subjects looked at lights (which never changed) was the dependent measure. In the "needs" condition, a change in the lights meant the other person needed help (which the subject could not provide). In the "inputs" condition, a change in the lights meant the other had made a substantial contribution to a joint task. In support of the hypotheses, it was found that the number of looks at the lights in the "needs" condition was significantly greater when the other was a friend than a stranger, while the number of looks in the "inputs" condition was significantly greater when the other was a stranger than a friend.
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