Power and Equity: What Counts in Attributions for Exchange Outcomes?

This study combines two of the major theoretical perspectives in social psychology: social exchange and attribution theory. We propose a theoretical model that depicts the influence of two fundamental social factors―structural power and outcome equity―on causal attributions for exchange outcome, which in turn mediate behavioral reactions to the exchange outcomes. We manipulate the social factors in a vignette describing an exchange between a female typist and another student (male or female) who needs a paper typed. Female subjects play the role ot the typist and respond to a series of questions about their perceptiosn of the situation