Social Exchange Theory: Content and Context Effects on the Wason Selection Task

This study manipulated the context or background story accompanying a Wason Selection Task. The content of the story and the instructions were the same in the control and two experimental conditions. The control group was given a standard version of the Wason Selection Task. In the first experimental group, context was altered to include a “catch-cheaters” frame as outlined in social exchange theory. In the second experimental group, the “vividness” of this information was enhanced to make the manipulation more “available.” Significant differences were found between the control and experimental conditions, but not between the “catch-cheaters” and “enhanced catch-cheaters” groups.