Effect of Computer-Simulated Leaders' Compromise on Members' Emotional State and Protest Behavior

Abstract

Participants (N = 119) played the "Dictator Game" (computer mediated) with two bogus computer-simulated players, one of whom, the Dictator, distributed money across ten trials, either as extremely unfair (Inflexible Dictator) or being less unfair (Flexible Dictator). The other player either protested against (Protest condition) or did not react (Apathy condition) to the dictator's decision, after each trial. We measured participants' self-reported anger and disinterest, physiological skin conductance (SCL), heart rate (HR), and number and type of comments directed to the Dictator. Anger and number of comments were lower in the Apathy than in the Protest condition. Participants' SCL, HR, and protest comments decreased in the Apathy condition, and increased in the Protest condition. Protest assumed a more punitive tone in the Inflexible than in the Flexible Dictator condition. We discuss these results' contribution to understand individuals' motivation to engage in protest and apathy, and the role of emotions in that process.

Keywords: anger; disinterest and anxiety; protest and apathy; unfair leaders.