Three situational variables were varied to assess the relative weight given to equity and equality principles in reward allocations in task-performing groups: (a) the functional relation between individual and group performance (additive, conjunctive, or disjunctive), (b) the amount of variation among performances of individual members, and (c) the purpose of the allocation. In 2 studies, participants were asked to allocate rewards among 3 performers in a hypothetical situation; in a third study, participants actually performed a task and were asked to allocate rewards to themselves and the other group members. The 3 studies produced two strikingly similar results: (a) equity was given more weight relative to equality when input variation was small rather than large, and (b) the disjunctive relation, when the performance of one member was critical to group success, led to more equitable allocations than did the additive or conjunctive relation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.