The effect of induced guilt on compensatory behavior toward the victim in a resource allocation among three people paradigm in Japan

Abstract

This study investigates whether perception of relational mobility moderates the effect of guilt on compensatory behavior in Japan. De Hooge et al. (2011) in the Netherlands found that, in multiperson relationships, guilt motivates compensatory behavior toward the victim at the expense of a third party. In contrast, Rebega et al. (2014) in Romania found that people who feel guilt compensate the victim at the expense of their own resources. In this study, we reproduced the same experimental conditions in Japan. We found that participants in the guilt condition distributed more resources to the victims at their own expense than did participants in the control condition, and the amount distributed to the third party did not differ between conditions (Studies 1 and 2). These results support the findings of Rebega et al. (2014). Furthermore, the result of Study 2 suggested that the difference in perception of relational mobility moderates the effect of guilt on resource division in multiperson relationships. Implications for theory and behavioral research on guilt are also discussed.