Relational Interaction Goals in Dispute Resolution: A Cross-Cultural Investigation.

This paper proposed and tested a model in which emotions affect dispute tactics and negotiation outcomes through the mediating role of relational goals. One hundred thirty eight participants were recruited from two universities in Hong Kong and the U.S. to form 69 dyads. Dyads were given time to negotiate after reading a hypothetical scenario and completing a pre-negotiation questionnaires. In order to take the interdependence of the data into consideration, the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) that contains variables from each member of the dyad was tested. Results suggested that emotions have a significant effect on the type of relational goals enacted by participants. Furthermore, results showed that a disputant's goal orientation affects his or her choice of dispute tactics. The analysis also revealed that a disputant's satisfaction level and that of his or her partner's is significantly correlated. Finally, the study provided important insight as to whether and how culture moderates the theoretical relationships between variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]