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The Social Exchange Heuristic: Managing Errors in Social Exchange

Author

Listed:
  • Toshio Yamagishi

    (Center for Experimental Research in Social Sciences and professor of social psychology at Hokkaido University, Japan, toshio@let.hokudai.ac.jp)

  • Shigeru Terai

    (Department of Behavioral Science, Hokkaido University)

  • Toko Kiyonari

    (Department of Management, University of Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Nobuhiro Mifune

    (Department of Behavioral Science, Hokkaido University)

  • Satoshi Kanazawa

    (Management and Research Methodology at the London School of Economics and Political Science)

Abstract

We extend the logic of Haselton and Buss's (2000) error management theory to the domain of social exchange and propose that a psychological mechanism, referred to as the social exchange heuristic (SEH), produces certain cognitive biases that affect how individuals manage these errors. We predicted that the SEH would remain dormant in individuals who failed to realize that they were in a situation that involved social exchange. In the first experiment ( n = 78), PD players who had a chance, before they played the game, to think both about the nature of the game they were playing and about their partner's choice were less cooperative compared to players of the standard one-shot PDG. In the second experiment ( n = 105), PD players were again less cooperative when they made their decision before they were matched with a particular partner than after they had been matched with a partner. Results strongly suggest the operation of a SEH.

Suggested Citation

  • Toshio Yamagishi & Shigeru Terai & Toko Kiyonari & Nobuhiro Mifune & Satoshi Kanazawa, 2007. "The Social Exchange Heuristic: Managing Errors in Social Exchange," Rationality and Society, , vol. 19(3), pages 259-291, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:19:y:2007:i:3:p:259-291
    DOI: 10.1177/1043463107080449
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    4. Declerck, Carolyn H. & Kiyonari, Toko & Boone, Christophe, 2009. "Why do responders reject unequal offers in the Ultimatum Game? An experimental study on the role of perceiving interdependence," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 335-343, June.
    5. Karbowski, Adam, 2015. "Problemy dzielenia się wiedzą w poziomej współpracy badawczo-rozwojowej [Problems of knowledge sharing in horizontal R&D cooperation]," MPRA Paper 69602, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Valdes Salvador & Gonzalo ValdesEdwards, 2023. "Microfoundations of Expected Utility and Response Times," Papers 2302.09421, arXiv.org.
    7. Kim Mannemar Sønderskov, 2011. "Explaining large-N cooperation: Generalized social trust and the social exchange heuristic," Rationality and Society, , vol. 23(1), pages 51-74, February.
    8. Yoshie Matsumoto & Toshio Yamagishi & Yang Li & Toko Kiyonari, 2016. "Prosocial Behavior Increases with Age across Five Economic Games," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, July.
    9. Dunning, David & Fetchenhauer, Detlef & Schlösser, Thomas M., 2012. "Trust as a social and emotional act: Noneconomic considerations in trust behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 686-694.
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    11. Rompf, Stephan Alexander, 2014. "System Trust and Cooperation: The Case of Recycling Behavior," MPRA Paper 60279, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    13. Fetchenhauer, Detlef & Dunning, David, 2012. "Betrayal aversion versus principled trustfulness—How to explain risk avoidance and risky choices in trust games," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 534-541.
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    15. Christophe Boone & Carolyn Declerck & Toko Kiyonari, 2010. "Inducing Cooperative Behavior among Proselfs versus Prosocials: The Moderating Role of Incentives and Trust," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 54(5), pages 799-824, October.
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