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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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Justifying Decisions in Social Dilemmas: Justification Pressures and Tacit Coordination Under Environmental Uncertainty

Erik W. de Kwaadsteniet

Leiden University, KWAADSTENIET{at}fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Eric van Dijk

Leiden University

Arjaan Wit

Leiden University

David De Cremer

Tilburg University

Mark de Rooij

Leiden University

This article investigates how justification pressures influence harvesting decisions in common resource dilemmas. The authors argue that when a division rule prescribes a specific harvest level, such as under environmental certainty, people adhere more strongly to this division rule when they have to justify their decisions to fellow group members. When a division rule does not prescribe a specific harvest level, such as under environmental uncertainty, people restrict their harvests when they have to justify their decisions to fellow group members. The results of two experimental studies corroborate this line of reasoning. The findings are discussed in terms of tacit coordination. The authors specify conditions under which justification pressures may or may not facilitate efficient coordination.

Key Words: social dilemmas • equality • environmental uncertainty • accountability • tacit coordination

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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 12, 1648-1660 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167207307490
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