Carsten K W De Dreu, Jörg Gross, Andrea Arciniegas, Laura C Hoenig, Michael Rojek-Giffin, Daan T Scheepers
In theory, it can be strategically advantageous for competitors to make themselves unpredictable to their opponents, for example, by variably mixing hostility and friendliness. Empirically, it remains open whether and how competitors make themselves unpredictable, why they do so, and how this conditions conflict dynamics and outcomes. We examine these questions in interactive attacker-defender contests, in which attackers invest to capture resources held and defended by their opponent. Study 1, a reanalysis of nine (un)published experiments (total N = 650), reveals significant cross-trial variability especially in proactive attacks and less in reactive defense...
March 2024: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology