Database from the study investigating allocation decisions toward an uninvolved next participant after receiving an outcome that varied in relative favorability and source. The study examines whether receiving an unfavorable rather than favorable outcome affects subsequent allocation behavior toward another person, and whether this depends on whether the outcome resulted from a previous participant’s decision or from a random draw.
The database includes 437 complete observations. There are no missing values in the variables included in the public dataset. The following variables are included:
participant_id — anonymous participant identifier
gender — participant gender; 1 = female, 2 = male
age — participant age in years
group — experimental condition; 1 = decision/favorable, 2 = decision/unfavorable, 3 = random/favorable, 4 = random/unfavorable
outcome_favorability — relative favorability of the received outcome; 1 = favorable, 2 = unfavorable
source_of_outcome — source of the received outcome; 1 = decision, 2 = random
allocation_next_person — amount allocated to the next participant; range: 0–100 Experimental Dollars
perceived_fairness — perceived fairness of the received outcome; 1–10 scale
anger_received — anger felt in response to the received outcome; 1–10 scale
happiness_received — happiness felt in response to the received outcome; 1–10 scale
sadness_received — sadness felt in response to the received outcome; 1–10 scale
wronged_received — feeling of being wronged in response to the received outcome; 1–10 scale
satisfaction_received — satisfaction felt in response to the received outcome; 1–10 scale
perceived_fairness_allocated — perceived fairness of the participant’s own allocation decision; 1–10 scale
anger_allocated — anger felt after making one’s own allocation decision; 1–10 scale
happiness_allocated — happiness felt after making one’s own allocation decision; 1–10 scale
sadness_allocated — sadness felt after making one’s own allocation decision; 1–10 scale
wronged_allocated — feeling of being wronged after making one’s own allocation decision; 1–10 scale
satisfaction_allocated — satisfaction felt after making one’s own allocation decision; 1–10 scale
The study employed an online 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design. Participants first received an outcome of 20 Experimental Dollars. The outcome varied along two dimensions. First, its source varied: in the decision condition, the outcome allegedly resulted from a previous participant’s choice; in the random condition, it allegedly resulted from a random draw. Second, its relative favorability varied: in the favorable condition, receiving 20 Experimental Dollars was relatively favorable because the alternative outcome would have been worse (0 for the participant, 100 for the previous participant); in the unfavorable condition, receiving 20 Experimental Dollars was relatively unfavorable because the alternative outcome would have been better (50 for the participant, 50 for the previous participant). Participants then decided how many Experimental Dollars, from 0 to 100, to allocate to the next participant. After making the allocation decision, they rated the perceived fairness of the outcome they had received and of their own allocation decision, and reported their emotional responses to both the received outcome and their own decision.
(2026)
