Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
6-1982
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Major Professor
Michael E. Gordon
Committee Members
H. Dudley Dewhirst
Abstract
The use of students as behavioral research subjects has been widely criticized, however, empirical investigation of the issue has been sparse. Those studies which have been conducted are inconclusive as to whether students are appropriate research subjects. The differences between students and "real people" continue to cause concern over the generalizability of student-based research. Similarly, laboratory research tasks have been described as too unrealistic to produce generalizable results.
Industrial/organizational psychologists are showing increased interest in union-management relations and much research in this field is being conducted in the laboratory using students as subjects. Hence, it is important to determine whether students can serve as surrogates for union and management negotiators and whether varying levels of simulation complexity can affect the outcomes of bargaining studies.
The first study reported here compared the processes and results of simulated union-management negotiations using undergraduates, graduate students, and union members in a simple bargaining simulation. Results indicated that graduate students and union members demonstrated more self-interest, greater task involvement, longer bargaining times, and a greater propensity to strike than undergraduates. Furthermore, union members saw the task as more realistic and skill-determined than undergraduates. Finally, settlement levels on the various items showed differences which were explainable in terms of demographics.
The second study compared three levels of simulation complexity using undergraduates as subjects. The low complexity condition used ad hoc groups. In the moderate complexity condition subjects participated in a management simulation and negotiated in groups established for that purpose. Real world constraints were imposed. The high complexity condition was identical to the moderate condition except that negotiated wage rates were subsequently fed into the business simulation. Results showed similar wage/benefit packages among the three complexity levels, however, settlements for individual contract items differed across levels. Significant differences were also found with regard to bargaining times and bargaining seriousness.
Results of the comparison of students and "real people" raise serious doubts about the viability of students as subjects in bar-gaining research. The study of simulation complexity indicates a need for researchers to build perceptions of realism into laboratory research tasks.
Recommended Citation
Schneider, Walter G., "The effects of research complexity and type of subjects on the results of laboratory research in the field of union-management relations. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1982.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/13319