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The biological bases of unfairness: Neuroimaging evidence for the distinctiveness of procedural and distributive justice

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  • Dulebohn, James H.
  • Conlon, Donald E.
  • Sarinopoulos, Issidoros
  • Davison, Robert B.
  • McNamara, Gerry

Abstract

A classic debate in the organizational justice literature concerns the question of whether procedural justice and distributive justice are independent constructs. We investigate this question by using fMRI methods to examine brain activation patterns associated with procedural and distributive unfairness. We observed a clear dissociation of activation between these two forms of justice, and only a minimal amount of shared activation in the hypothesized regions. Specifically, unfair procedures evoked greater activation in parts of the brain related to social cognition, such as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and the superior temporal sulcus (STS), whereas unfair outcomes evoked greater activation in more emotional areas of the brain, such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), anterior insula (AI) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). We interpret the findings as supporting the notion that the two forms of justice reflect distinct constructs, while recognizing that, as forms of justice, they are closely related nomologically.

Suggested Citation

  • Dulebohn, James H. & Conlon, Donald E. & Sarinopoulos, Issidoros & Davison, Robert B. & McNamara, Gerry, 2009. "The biological bases of unfairness: Neuroimaging evidence for the distinctiveness of procedural and distributive justice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 140-151, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:110:y:2009:i:2:p:140-151
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    1. Sweeney, Paul D. & McFarlin, Dean B., 1993. "Workers' Evaluations of the "Ends" and the "Means": An Examination of Four Models of Distributive and Procedural Justice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 23-40, June.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Russell S. Cropanzano & Sebastiano Massaro & William J. Becker, 2017. "Deontic Justice and Organizational Neuroscience," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 733-754, September.
    3. Le, Huy & Pan, Liyao, 2021. "Examining the empirical redundancy of organizational justice constructs," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 21-44.
    4. Marion Fortin & Thierry Nadisic & Chris M. Bell & Jonathan R. Crawshaw & Russell Cropanzano, 2016. "Beyond the Particular and Universal: Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence of Context, Justice, and Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(4), pages 639-647, September.
    5. Lori Verstegen Ryan, 2017. "Sex Differences Through a Neuroscience Lens: Implications for Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 771-782, September.
    6. Kylie C. Rochford & Anthony I. Jack & Richard E. Boyatzis & Shannon E. French, 2017. "Ethical Leadership as a Balance Between Opposing Neural Networks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 755-770, September.
    7. Thomas Tang & Hsi Liu, 2012. "Love of Money and Unethical Behavior Intention: Does an Authentic Supervisor’s Personal Integrity and Character (ASPIRE) Make a Difference?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(3), pages 295-312, May.

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