Elaborating Procedural Fairness: Justice Becomes Both Simpler and more Complex

Abstract

Past research has indicated the importance of disputant voice in determining the fairness of conflict resolution procedures, but some conflicting data have called the role of voice into question. The authors review the role of voice in procedural fairness and conclude that some of those negative results were due to a confounded research design. In three studies, this problem was corrected, and additional data were collected. Contrary to the earlier findings, results show that when other factors are equated, participants prefer the conflict resolution procedures that offer the most voice. The authors further note, however, that factors such as the role of the decision maker are also important in determining fairness.