Perceptions of equality: How power asymmetries affect joint problem solving

This dissertation explores how power asymmetries affect joint problem solving processes and outcomes. The first study was an experimental investigation of how power imbalances affect negotiations. Participants engaged in a negotiation role-play between a candidate and a recruiter, where power was manipulated through the parties' alternatives to a negotiated agreement. Transcripts of the negotiations as well as outcome data were collected from the participants. In terms of negotiation processes, parties who perceived a smaller power difference were more likely to be open with one another than parties who perceived a greater power difference. Moreover, parties who perceived a smaller power difference reached agreements of greater joint gain than parties who perceived a greater power difference.;The second study was a content analysis of conflict resolution workshops between Israelis and Palestinians. As with study one, when parties perceived a smaller power difference, they were more likely to engage in constructive problem-solving processes, such as trying to understand the other and acknowledging their own contributions to the conflict, and less likely to engage in destructive problem-solving processes, such as blaming the other party. Moreover, when parties perceived a smaller power difference, they were more likely to develop options that satisfied both parties' needs. The relationship between perceptions of power difference and development of options was partially mediated by the problem-solving processes the parties used. Implications for joint problem solving in both interpersonal and intergroup contexts are addressed.