The author attempts to identify the essential characteristics that distinguish behavioral from nonbehavioral research in industrial relations. He argues that behavioral research is distinguished from nonbehavioral research by the psychological model of man that is contained in the theoretical framework used to deduce or test hypotheses. More specifically, the “behavioral man” of behavioral research and the “economic man” of nonbehavioral research differ in the assumptions they embody about human motivation and cognition. The author cites examples from the literature to support his contention that the choice between these alternative models significantly affects predictions of industrial relations outcomes.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbowdJohn, and FarberHenry. 1982. “Job Queues and the Union Status of Workers.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 354–67.
2.
AdamsJ. Stacy. 1963. “Toward an Understanding of Inequity.”Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 422–36.
3.
AignerDennis, and CainGlen. 1977. “Statistical Theories of Discrimination in Labor Markets.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 175–87.
4.
AkerlofGeorge. 1982. “Labor Contracts as a Partial Gift Exchange.”Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 97, No. 389, pp. 543–69.
5.
AlhadeffD. A.1982. Microeconomics and Human Behavior. Berkeley: University of California Press.
6.
AnnableJames. 1984. The Price of Industrial Labor. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books.
7.
AshenfelterOrley, and JohnsonGeorge. 1969. “Bargaining Theory, Trade Unions, and Industrial Strike Activity.”American Economic Review, Vol. 50 (March), pp. 35–49.
8.
BeckerGary. 1976. The Economic Approach to Human Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
9.
BeckerGary. 1957. The Economics of Discrimination. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
10.
Chadwick-JonesJ. K.1986. “Social Exchange, Social Psychology and Economics.” In MacFadyenAlan J. and MacFadyenHeather J., eds., Economic Psychology: Intersections in Theory and Application. Amsterdam: North Holland, pp. 249–67.
11.
ChungKae. 1977. Motivational Theories and Practices. Columbus, Ohio: Grid.
12.
CrouchRobert. 1979. Human Behavior: An Economic Approach. Boston: Duxbury, 1979.
13.
CyertRichard M., and MarchJames. 1963. A Behavioral Theory of the Firm. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
14.
DickensWilliam, and KatzLawrence. 1987. “Inter-Industry Wage Differences and Industry Characteristics.” In LangKevin and LeonardJonathan, eds., Unemployment and the Structure of Labor Markets. New York: Basil Blackwell, pp. 48–89.
15.
DickinsonJonathan. 1974. “Labor Supply of Family Members.” In MorganJames N., eds., Five Thousand American Families—Patterns of Economic Progress, Vol. 1. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Institute for Social Research, pp. 177–250.
16.
DuesenberryJames. 1949. Income, Saving and the Theory of Consumer Behavior. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
17.
FarberHenry, and SaksDaniel. 1980. “Why Workers Want Unions: The Role of Relative Wages and Job Characteristics.”Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 88, No. 2, pp. 349–69.
18.
FrankRobert H.1985. Choosing the Right Pond: Human Behavior and the Quest for Status. New York: Oxford University Press.
19.
Georgescu-RoeganNicholas. 1968. “Utility.” In International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Vol. 16. New York: Macmillan, pp. 236–67.
20.
HamermeshDaniel. 1975. “Interdependence in the Labour Market.”Economica, Vol. 42, No. 168, pp. 420–29.
21.
HenemanHerbert, and SandverMarcus. 1983. “Predicting the Outcome of Union Certification Elections: A Review of the Literature.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 537–59.
22.
HeywoodJohn S.1986. “Labor Quality and the Concentration-Earnings Hypothesis.”Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 68, No. 2, pp. 342–46.
23.
HogarthRobin. 1980. Judgment and Choice: The Psychology of Decision Making. New York: Wiley & Sons.
24.
KahnemanDanielKnetschJack, and ThalerRichard. 1986. “Fairness and the Assumptions of Economics.”Journal of Business, Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 5285–5300.
25.
KatonaGeorge. 1975. Psychological Economics. New York: Elsevier.
26.
KatzLawrence. 1986. “Efficiency Wage Theories: A Partial Evaluation.” In FischerStanley, ed., NBER Macroeconomis Annual 1986. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, pp. 235–76.
27.
KaufmanBruce E.1988. “The Postwar View of Labor Markets and Wage Determination.” In How Labor Markets Work: Reflections on Theory and Practice by John Dunlop, Clark Kerr, Richard Lester, and Lloyd Reynolds. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books, pp. 145–203.
28.
KaufmanBruce E.1990. “A New Theory of Satisficing.”Journal of Behavioral Economics, Vol. 19, forthcoming.
29.
KruegerAlan, and SummersLawrence. 1987. “Reflections on the Interindustry Wage Structure.” In LangKevin and LeonardJonathan, eds., Unemployment and the Structure of Labor Markets. New York: Basil Blackwell, pp. 17–47.
30.
LawlerEdward. 1971. Pay and Organizational Effectiveness: A Psychological View. New York: McGraw-Hill.
31.
LernerRichard M.1986. Psychology. New York: Macmillan.
32.
LesterRichard. 1946. “Shortcomings of Marginal Analysis for Wage/Employment Problems.”American Economic Review, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 63–82.
33.
LesterRichard. 1947. “Marginalism, Minimum Wages, and Labor Markets.”American Economic Review, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 135–148.
34.
LesterRichard. 1952. “A Range Theory of Wage Differentials.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 483–500.
35.
LewinDavid, and FeuillePeter. 1983. “Behavioral Research and Industrial Relations.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 341–60.
36.
LewinDavid, and StraussGeorge. 1988. “Behavioral Research in Industrial Relations: Introduction.”Industrial Relations, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 1–6.
37.
LutzMark, and LuxKenneth. 1979. The Challenge of Humanistic Economics. Menlo Park, Calif.: Benjamin/Cummings.
38.
MacFadyenHeather. 1986. “Motivational Constructs in Psychology.” In MacFadyenAlan J. and MacFadyenHeather, eds., Economic Psychology: Intersections in Theory and Application. Amsterdam: North Holland, pp. 66–108.
39.
MaslowAbraham. 1954. Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper & Row.
40.
McCallJohn. 1970. “Economics of Information and Job Search.”Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 84, No. 1, pp. 113–26.
41.
MorganJames. 1976. “A Seven-Year Check on the Possible Effects of Attitudes, Motives and Behavior Patterns on Change in Economic Status.” In DuncanGreg J. and MorganJames, eds., Five Thousand American Families—Patterns of Economic Progress, Vol. 4. Ann Arbor, Mich.: ISR, pp. 421–28.
42.
MowdayRichard T.1983. “Equity Theory Predictions of Behavior in Organizations.” In SteersRichard M. and PorterLyman W., eds., Motivation and Work Behavior, 3rd ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 91–113.
43.
RossArthur. 1948. Trade Union Wage Policy. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press.
44.
SchoemakerPaul J. H.1982. “The Expected Utility Model: Its Variants, Purposes, Evidence and Limitations.”Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 529–63.
45.
ShapiroCarl, and StiglitzJoseph. 1984. “Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device.”American Economic Review, Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 433–44.
46.
SimonHerbert. 1963. “Economics and Psychology.” In KochS., ed., Psychology: A Study of a Science, Vol. 6. New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 685–723.
47.
SimonHerbert. 1957. Models of Man. New York: Wiley & Sons.
48.
StephensGeorge, and De NisiAngelo. 1980. “Women as Managers: Attitudes and Attributions for Performance by Men and Women.”Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 355–61.
49.
StiglerGeorge. 1947. “Professor Lester and the Marginalists.”American Economic Review, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 154–57.
50.
StiglerGeorge. 1962. “Information in the Labor Market.”Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 70, No. 5, Pt. 2, pp. 94–105.
51.
StiglerGeorge, and BeckerGary. 1977. “De Gustibus non est Disputandum.”American Economic Review, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 76–90.
52.
SummersT. P.BettonJ. Y., and De LotiisT. A.. 1986. “Voting For and Against Unions: A Decision Model.”Academy of Management Review, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 643–55.
53.
SzilagyiAndrew, and WallaceMarcJr.1983. Organizational Behavior and Performance, 3rd ed.Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman.
54.
TverskyAmos, and KahnemanDaniel. 1974. “Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases.”Science, Vol. 185, No. 4157, pp. 1124–31.
55.
VecchioRobert P.1982. “Predicting Worker Performance in Inequitable Settings.”Academy of Management Review, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 103–10.
56.
VroomVictor. 1964. Work and Motivation. New York: Wiley & Sons.
57.
WaltonRichard, and McKersieRobert. 1965. A Behavioral Theory of Labor Negotiations. New York: McGraw-Hill.
58.
WeissLeonard. 1968. “Concentration and Labor Earnings.”American Economic Review, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 96–117.
59.
WheelerHoyt. 1985. Industrial Conflict: An Integrative Theory. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press.
