The role of Social Value Orientation in response to an unfair offer in the Ultimatum Game

Two studies examined the influence of Social Value Orientation (SVO) on the decision to accept or reject an unfair offer in the Ultimatum Game (UG). In both studies, participants with different SVOs (Prosocials, Individualists and Competitors), measured about 3 weeks prior to the UG, responded to an offer of “$8 for Proposer, $2 for Participant”, believing it came from a human Proposer. In both studies Prosocials accepted the offer more frequently than Individualists and Competitors, who did not differ. Further, we found that SVO differences in positive emotions in response to the offer (Study 1), and positive cognitions toward the offer and the proposer (Study 2) underlie the SVO effect on UG decision, suggesting a role for SVO differences in the utilization of emotion regulation strategies. Implications of the present findings for “altruistic punishment” and “emotions/self-regulation” accounts as motivators of UG decisions are discussed.

► Prosocials accepted the unfair offer more than Individualists and Competitors.
► Expectations of the offer and judgments of its fairness were uninfluenced by SVO.
► In Study 1 Prosocials reported more positive emotion in response to the offer.
► In Study 2 Prosocials reported more positive perceptions of the proposer’s motives.
► Results are best explained by emotion regulation than by altruistic punishment.