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When Talk Is Not Cheap: Substantive Penance And Expressions Of Intent In Rebuilding Cooperation, William P. Bottom, Kevin Gibson, Steven E. Daniels, J. Keith Murnighan

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Interpersonal relationships can be fragile. The mere perception of opportunistic behavior can lead to a breakdown in cooperation. Once damaged, the question then arises as to whether and how cooperation might be restored. Noncooperative game theory raises serious doubts about the possibilities, although interactional justice and impression management research have shown that verbal explanations can dampen reactions to aversive behavior. Philosophical, anthropological, and ethological research all suggest that genuine forgiveness may require something more tangible and substantive than an explanation. Thus, the current experiment investigated the effects of explanations and varying forms of substantive amends on the restoration of mutual …