Go Greek or Go Home: Investigating Greek Versus Non-Greek Perceptions of Fairness
Abstract
The current study examines the effects of group membership and advantage on perceptions of fairness and affective responses. Survey data was collected from 185 undergraduate students at The College of Wooster. Participants read one of two possible scenarios and then answered questions regarding perceptions of fairness, affective responses, and group membership. Results indicate that Greek members were more likely to perceive the outcome as fair when their group was advantaged, compared to when their group was disadvantaged. Additionally, when Greek members were disadvantaged, they were more likely to perceive the outcome as unfair and experience stronger negative affective responses compared to Non-Greek members whose opinions of fairness and affective responses did not differ across conditions.