Negotiation constraints in the risk-taking domain: Effects of being observed by partners of higher or lower status.

Examined the effects of status and of prior issue commitment on the risky shift and other negotiation outcomes. Following assessment of individual risk preferences on the choice-dilemmas task, 192 male undergraduates were assigned to 24 groups of leader-subordinate dyads and told to reach joint decisions on 1/2 the choice-dilemmas items. Recombination as all-leader and all-subordinate groups followed. For 1/2 of each of these combinations, leaders were negotiators and subordinates were Os; role assignments were reversed for the others. The negotiators' task was to achieve a consensus on all of the choice-dilemmas items both those with prior dyadic decisions and those without. Subordinate negotiators, relative to leader negotiators, consulted more with their former dyadic partner and more often failed to achieve consensus (deadlock). Subordinate Os advocated higher risk levels than their leader negotiators, whereas subordinate negotiators and leader Os did not differ in risk preferences. Prior issue commitment increased the difficulty of a negotiated agreement and decreased decision satisfaction. Generally, the presence of Os seemed to increase "loss of face" motivation in leaders and fears of sanction for deviation in subordinates. (24 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)