Less pain,same gain: The effects of priming fairness in price negotiations

This research demonstrates that, by priming a consideration for fairness, a seller can increase a buyer's satisfaction without sacrificing profit. In simulated negotiations, participants primed to consider fairness demonstrated more cooperative behavior, making greater concessions that led to faster agreement. Fairness‐primed buyers consequently had a more positive attitude toward the seller and expressed significantly greater positive subjective disconfirmation of their expectations. These results show how self‐interest and social utility can work in concert once a concern for fairness is activated. The results support the Models of Social Utility and Group Identification and confirm the Expectancy Disconfirmation Model of Negotiations. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.