THE INFLUENCE OF SPECIFIC AND GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP FACTORS ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR: AN ULTIMATUM GAME STUDY

Abstract

It is an implicit fact that people behave differently in different relationships. One reason for our doing so is the existence of different contextual factors within specific relationships. As important as the effects of specific relational contexts on one’s behaviour are, people have also been found to manifest global relationship patterns i.e. some of their behaviours are consistent across relationships. The present study seeks to clarify the separate and collective influence of specific and global relationship factors on social behaviour. A sample of 175 young adults played a version of an Ultimatum Game (UG) that measured their behaviour with different people. Participants completed questionnaires assessing factors specific to their relationships with these people (support and conflict) and factors that characterise their global patterns (negative relational styles). It was discovered that relational support and conflict effectively predicted corresponding behaviour in the UG. Partial evidence was found for negative relational styles predicting behaviour in the UG. Crucially, it was also discovered that some negative relational styles moderated the relationship between relational support/conflict and corresponding behaviour in the UG. The results hinted at distinct pathways with which specific and global relationship factors can help explain social behaviour. Knowledge of these pathways are said to be of usefulness to clinical professionals in helping them establish treatment targets for people with relationship problems.