Intergroup conflict and rational decision making

Abstract

The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict -associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate)- has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making.

Figure 1. Three stages in decision making.

Each line represents the average money sent (from 0 to 3 Euros) in the three decision-making stages in the experimental and control conditions. The first stage (a) corresponds to an individual decision, the second (b) to a group decision, and the third (c) to an individual decision. In each of the two individual decisions, the average amount sent by each participant individually to the out-group is represented. In the group decision, the average amount sent by each group to the other group is represented.