Measures

Message chosen

Which message did people select?

message_choice n
dom 3
nondom 27

That’s not great.

Predictions: Compliance

Do task

Will the employee do the task?

message prediction n
dom do-task 11
dom skip-task 19
nondom do-task 27
nondom skip-task 3

Performance

If they do the task, how many points will they score?

Predictions: Relationship

Another task

How much money will it take to get them do another task with this manager?

Liking

How much will the employee like the manager?

Punish decision

How much will they let the employee keep, based on their performance?

Competitive Worldview

1 = Strongly Disagree to 7 = Strongly Agree

1. It’s a dog-eat-dog world where you have to be ruthless at times
2. Life is not governed by the “survival of the fittest.” We should let compassion and moral laws be our guide [R]
3. There is really no such thing as “right” and “wrong.” It all boils down to what you can get away with
4. One of the most useful skills a person should develop is how to look someone straight in the eye and lie convincingly
5. It is better to be loved than to be feared [R]
6. My knowledge and experience tell me that the social world we live in is basically a competitive “jungle” in which the fittest survive and succeed, in which power, wealth, and winning are everything, and might is right
7. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and never do anything unfair to someone else [R]
8. Basically people are objects to be quietly and coolly manipulated for one’s own benefit
9. Honesty is the best policy in all cases [R]
10. One should give others the benefit of the doubt. Most people are trustworthy if you have faith in them [R]

Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81

Break it down by specific message

Participants saw one of three dominant messages and one of three non-dominant messages:

dom_1: By now you know the task at hand. You better complete it and do it well, or you’re not getting anything.
dom_2: It’s time to wake up and perform. The only way you’re going to see a bonus here is by doing this job to near perfection. I’ll be watching.
dom_3: If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get in there and do your absolute best across all the rounds. If you don’t perform, I’ll take away your bonus.

nondom_1: Sorry it turned out this way, but can you please do this for me? This bonus will help me a lot.
nondom_2: This task looks pretty tough. I really appreciate you jumping in and doing your best. I hope it won’t be too annoying.
nondom_3: I understand if you’d rather not do this task. It doesn’t look very fun. But I’d be grateful if you can give it a shot. And I’ll take care of you on the bonus.

Message chosen

Which message did people select?

mes_dom mes_nondom message_choice n
1 1 nondom 3
1 2 dom 2
1 2 nondom 4
1 3 nondom 1
2 1 nondom 5
2 2 nondom 4
2 3 nondom 2
3 1 nondom 1
3 2 nondom 1
3 3 dom 1
3 3 nondom 6

Predictions: Compliance

Dominant messages

Do task

Will the employee do the task?

mes_dom do-task skip-task
1 2 8
2 6 5
3 3 6

Performance

If they do the task, how many points will they score?

Non-Dominant messages

Do task

Will the employee do the task?

mes_nondom do-task skip-task
1 8 1
2 10 1
3 9 1

Performance

If they do the task, how many points will they score?

Predictions: Relationship

Dominant messages

Another task

How much money will it take to get them do another task with this manager?

Liking

How much will the employee like the manager?

Non-Dominant messages

Another task

How much money will it take to get them do another task with this manager?

Liking

How much will the employee like the manager?