Too good to be true: Suspicion-based rejections of high offers
Steinel,W. van Beest,I. Dijk van,E.
Steinel,W.
van Beest,I.
Dijk van,E.
Abstract
It is a common belief that high offers are more readily accepted than low offers. In contrast to this general notion, the current set of studies shows that there is a limit to the beneficial effects of making high offers and that becoming too generous may backfire. This paradoxical finding is observed when offers are made in an ambiguous situation of asymmetric information. In three studies, we found that when bargaining opponents had private information over the total amount that was to be distributed, participants became suspicious about high offers (i.e., offers that were beneficial to themselves), but not about low or equal offers. Due to suspicion, participants rejected high offers more often than equal offers.
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2014
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Research Projects
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Citation
Steinel, W, van Beest, I & Dijk van, E 2014, 'Too good to be true : Suspicion-based rejections of high offers', Group Processes & Intergroup Relations: GPIR, vol. 17, pp. 682-698. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430213507323