Abstract

The present study composing of two related experiments concerns to search the patterns of using of two reciprocity nonrms in the outcome exchange situation. In experiment 1 subjects overpaid or underpaid credits from their partner(confederate) than they expected, then in the next session of experiment they were told to repay credits to their partner at will. Subjects overpaid did compensate to him exactly same to their profit received before, but subjects underpaid did repay to him more credits than they received. These results suggest that subjects follow the positive reciprocity norm exactly and follow the negative reciprocity norm roughly. In experiment 2 dealing with effect of conflict(manipulated with zero-sum situation) on the pattern of exchange, the conflict of two persons in exchange relationships made the reciprocity norm salient. When subjects perceive there are conflict between two person, they more followed the norm exactly than do not perceive conflict. The conflict may trigger a matching response in the size of the repayment between two persons exchanging their profits. Generally speaking, they opted for rough reciprocity norm in no conflict condition and opted for relatively exact reciprocity norm in conflict condition. Above results were discussed in the theoretical and practical contexts.