Perceived fairness of groups and organizations: A human foraging rule?

Escalation of commitment and the sunk cost effect have often been erroneously used interchangeably. Escalation is when decision makers “irrationally” recommit resources to a failing course of action, while the sunk cost effect is a maladaptive economic behavior that is manifested in a greater tendency to continue with a project once an investment has been made. From an economic standpoint, future prospects should guide rational decision making; going one step further, it is irrational to consider prior costs in current prospects. In stark contrast to the traditional economic perspective, the behavior analytic perspective suggests that prior events properly set the stage for decision making. Previous research in behavior analysis and economics implicates equivocality (intermittent reinforcement) as a primary cause of escalation. Sunk cost and equivocality have been studied separately, but have yet to be studied simultaneously in an experiment. Analyzing the interaction of sunk cost and equivocality in investment decisions, we find that sunk cost effects exert influence on decision making early on, but continued escalation in a failing venture is due to feedback equivocality. Implications for executive decision making in risky and uncertain ventures are discussed

An Analysis of Types and Targets of Coercive Interference

Over time, coercion, the use of power to influence someone to do what they do not want to, has become subtler, arguably because of both social pressure to reduce coercion in society and new technologies that can make it less detectable. This article draws on discussions within philosophy and psychology to reflect on the adequacy of existing definitions of coercion given this trend. A taxonomy of coercion types that combines philosophical concepts of freedom and coercion with the three-term contingency from behavioral psychology suggests that current definitions miss some of the subtler methods of coercion, particularly those that impact positive freedom. Theoretical contributions and practical applications of the taxonomy are discussed

Women’s informal appeals for equity in academia

Statistics indicate sex discrimination is still evident in universities. To explore how women informally seek to address these inequities and how their universities respond, a qualitative study was conducted using individual interviews with fourteen students and faculty who filed sex discrimination claims. Results indicated they first engaged in discussions with colleagues and administrators, letter-writing campaigns, and activities documenting the inequities, and that they couched their appeals cautiously to try to avoid retaliation. Although changes sometimes occurred, university responses to these informal appeals were generally characterized by nonresponse, denial of responsibility, or retaliation

Self-efficacy’s mediating role in success-bred escalation

This study indicated that self-efficacy mediates an effect of performance-related task experiences on escalation. Subjects who previously experienced reinforcement patterns resulting in their increased success had higher self-efficacy levels and temporarily exhibited increased failure when reinforcement was no longer forthcoming, relative to subjects who previously experienced patterns resulting in decreased success

Escalation research: Providing new frontiers for applying behavior analysis to organizational behavior

Decision fiascoes such as escalation of commitment, the tendency of decision makers to “throw good money after bad,” can have serious consequences for organizations and are therefore of great interest in applied research. This paper discusses the use of behavior analysis in organizational behavior research on escalation. Among the most significant aspects of behavior-analytic research on escalation is that it has indicated that both the patterns of outcomes that decision makers have experienced for past decisions and the patterns of responses that they make are critical for understanding escalation. This research has also stimulated the refinement of methods by researchers to better assess decision making and the role reinforcement plays in it. Finally, behavior-analytic escalation research has not only indicated the utility of reinforcement principles for predicting more complex human behavior but has also suggested some additional areas for future exploration of decision making using behavior analysis

A Review of J. L. Komaki\u27s leadership from an pperant perspective

The book, Leadership from an Operant Perspective, by Judith L. Komaki is reviewed. The book describes a series of studies by Komaki and others that have contributed to an understanding of the dynamic, evolving performancerelated interactions between leaders and followers, which include behaviors such as performance monitoring by leaders. A useful resource for researchers, practitioners, and students of Organizational Behavior Management, the book describes an entire area of operant research, including original predictions, empirical findings, and implications for future research and practice. In addition, the book is instructive in terms of how a theory, research methodology, and research stream are developed over time