Group Communication During Resource Dilemmas: 3. Effects of Social Value Orientation

Abstract

A resource dilemma is a circumstance where an aggregate of people share a slowly replenishing resource pool out of which each person can harvest for her or his own use. The goal of this study was to examine the content of discussion within groups distinguished by social value orientation (SVO; proselfs vs. prosocials) experiencing an experimental simulation of a resource dilemma. Prosocials maintained the resource pool more successfully. Their discussion featured more substantive and procedural discussion, as well as less off-topic talk than that of proselfs. In contrast, SVO had little impact on the participants' perceptions of their experience.

Keywords:

• Content Analysis
• Group Communication
• Resource Dilemma
• Social Value Orientation
• Tragedy of the Commons

We thank the students in COMM 440/640 (Melissa Dobosh, Lauren Fensham, Jessica Gatto, Andy High, Brianna Lehning, Kevin Tressler, Larry Walker, and Jackie Winslow) for making data gathering easy and huge fun, Jessica Gatto for unitizing, and Mike Kuhlman and Erin Yeagley specifically for providing material needed for using the Ring measure and, more generally, for their interest and encouragement.

Notes

The degree of interdependence among participants within a group is best examined through the use of the intraclass correlation coefficient (Kashy & Kenny, 1999). Liebrand (1984) did test for group effects through analysis of variance and did not find them at the .10 level of confidence, which provided a rationale for performing hypothesis tests without accounting for group membership. The problem is that with a sample size of 20 groups, or 18 df, the critical value of the correlation coefficient at .10 is .38; an intraclass correlation that high would suggest the possibility of interdependence among individuals within groups. Kerr and Harris (1996) did not provide any recognition of the interdependence issue in their discussion.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Charles Pavitt

Charles Pavitt (PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1983) is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Kurt Braddock

Kurt Braddock (MA, University of Delaware, 2006) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University, University Park, PA.

Alissa Mann

Alissa Mann (BA, University of Delaware, 2006) is a graduate of Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law, Philadelphia, PA.