The Value of Reciprocity
By Linda D. Molm, David R. Schaefer, J. Collett. Social psychology quarterly, 2007
279 citations recorded by the source corpus.
The value of reciprocity in social exchange potentially comprises both instrumental value (the value of the actual benefits received from exchange) and communicative or symbolic value (the expressive and uncertainty reduction value conveyed by features of the act of reciprocity itself). While all forms of exchange provide instrumental value, we propose that the voluntary and uncertain nature of recurring reciprocal exchanges, in which actors individually give benefits to each other without formal agreements, make the act of reciprocity itself an important vehicle for conveying symbolic value. We experimentally test the value actors place on partners' voluntary acts of reciprocity—over and above the instrumental benefits obtained—by providing subjects with computer-simulated partners who systematically vary in the instrumental value, probability, and predictability of their reciprocity. Our results show that behavioral preferences are governed primarily by the instrumental value of exchange, while sentiments of trust, affective regard, and solidarity are strongly influenced by the symbolic value of constant reciprocity. We discuss implications for theories of social exchange and social capital.
Subfields: Sociology and Political Science, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/c607b78a1a86fd0fcc38574cc6bab3da08f91509
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Citations in the corpus
- Ethical Leadership and Subordinate Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Organizational Politics and the Moderating Role of Political Skill (2013, background): “Hence, in order to maintain the exchange relationship, each party continues reciprocating and discharging obligations (Molm et al. 2007).”
- Perceived mastery climate, felt trust, and knowledge sharing (2018, background): “Molm, Schaefer, and Collett (2007) showed, for instance, that participants were significantly more trusting of partners who reciprocated consistently.”
- Untangling the Networking Phenomenon (2015, background): “…maintenance stage may be perceived as high quality by their relationship partners because they have had the opportunity to continually engage in positive exchange interactions (although there is certainly variability across relationships at the same stage; Lawler & Yoon, 1998; Molm et al., 2007).”
- Prosocial signaling and cooperation among Martu hunters (2015, background): “…of generalized reciprocity to social bonds has been demonstrated through experimental work which suggests that generalized sharing can build much stronger affective bonds of trust and commitment than contingent, negotiated exchange (Molm, Schaefer, & Collett, 2007b; Molm et al., 2000, 2007a).”