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Because of these challenges, much of the literature on conflict and conflict resolution has relied on a theoretical or correlational approach; endeavored to study conflict via vignettes and scenarios; or relied on woefully small samples. The combined challenges of interpretability, generalizability and replicability have limited the scientific and applied insights generated by the field.
Yet, few decisions are as consequential to the outcomes of interpersonal relationships, organizational performance, and society at large as those that individuals make in the course of navigating conflict. For most of us conflict is experienced multiple times a day in family relationships, at work, and in the political sphere. For some, conflict outcomes have dire consequences at both the personal and societal level. Often, these experiences exhaust cognitive and emotional resources, damage ongoing relationships, and create spirals that beget more conflict. Rarely, they yield profound positive change in beliefs, attitudes, and parties’ ability to coexist and cooperate.
Researchers in organizational behavior, psychology, economics, decision science and related fields, are uniquely equipped to provide answers to pressing questions surrounding conflict structures, conflict processes, and conflict resolution. This special issue seeks to showcase an interdisciplinary collection of papers on the experimental studies of conflict in order to advance both scientific and applied knowledge in this area. Papers that will be considered will:
Report the results of one or more large-sample controlled or natural experiments. Although the focus of this special issue will be on experimental evidence, we encourage scholars to use a variety of methods to bolster the generalizability and validity of their results. Thus papers combining experimental data and rich observational or archival data are particularly encouraged.
Examine the behavior of parties who genuinely hold opposing interests with regard to important attitudes, resource allocation, or future action. This can be accomplished in multiple ways, including collecting data “in the field” from partisans actively engaged in conflict; recruiting conflict partisans to the laboratory; or generating conflict through experimental incentives.
Endeavor to capture or manipulate interpersonal behavior (as opposed to individually held attitudes or intentions regarding conflict counter-parts). We are particularly encouraging of studies that record or transcribe verbal exchanges, body language, biological indices, or bargaining behavior in addition to the traditional self-reported measures of conflict-relevant attitudes.
Advance the progress of research by demonstrating commitment to open science practices and (when possible) publicly sharing pre-registered hypotheses, data, materials, and analysis code. Authors are strongly encouraged to include at least one study where the key hypotheses are pre-registered and the data are publically available.
