The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Thing to Do When Sharing Information: Revealing, Concealing and Lying Depend on Social Motivation, Distribution and Importance of Information

31 Pages Posted: 25 May 2010

See all articles by Wolfgang Steinel

Wolfgang Steinel

Leiden University - Social and Organizational Psychology

Lukas Koning

Leiden University

Sonja Utz

VU University Amsterdam

Abstract

Research on information sharing in group decision-making has widely assumed a cooperative context and focused on the exchange of shared or unshared information in the hidden profile paradigm (Stasser & Titus, 1985, 1987), thereby neglecting the role of information importance. We argue that information sharing is a mixed-motive conflict setting that gives rise to motivated strategic behavior. We introduce a new research paradigm that combines aspects of the traditional information sample paradigm with aspects of a public good dilemma: The information pooling game. In three experiments, we show that information sharing is strategic behavior that depends on people's prosocial or proself motivation, and that people consider not only information sharedness, but also information importance when deciding whether to reveal, withhold, or falsify their private or public information. Prosocial individuals were consistently found to openly and honestly reveal their private and important information, while selfish individuals strategically concealed or even lied about their private and important information.

Suggested Citation

Steinel, Wolfgang and Koning, Lukas and Utz, Sonja, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Thing to Do When Sharing Information: Revealing, Concealing and Lying Depend on Social Motivation, Distribution and Importance of Information. IACM 23rd Annual Conference Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1615040 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1615040

Wolfgang Steinel (Contact Author)

Leiden University - Social and Organizational Psychology ( email )

Leiden, 2300 RA
Netherlands

Lukas Koning

Leiden University ( email )

Postbus 9500
Leiden, Zuid Holland 2300 RA
Netherlands

Sonja Utz

VU University Amsterdam ( email )

De Boelelaan 1105
Amsterdam, ND North Holland 1081 HV
Netherlands