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The Generality of the Individual-Group Discontinuity Effect: Variations in Positivity-Negativity of Outcomes, Players' Relative Power, and Magnitude of Outcomes

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chester A. Insko

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Kenneth A. Graetz

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Stephen M. Drigotas

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Valerie A. Smith

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In a series of previous studies the authors have shown that intergroup interactions are dramatically more competitive and less cooperative than individual interactions. This phenomenon has been termed a discontinuity effect. The basic paradigm in this research measures competition and cooperation by choices made in a prisoner's dilemma game (PDG). Although a discontinuity effect has been observed in six separate studies, these have typically used a standard format. The present three studies extend the reliability and generality of the discontinuity effect by varying, respectively, the positivity-negativity of the outcomes in the PDG matrix, the power position of the players, and the magnitude of the PDG payoff values. In each of the three studies a statistically significant discontinuity effect was observed. The meaning of these studies is discussed, along with an unexpected interaction effect among gender, matrix type, and item sequence in the second study.

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