Effects of mediation and alternative forms of arbitration on bargaining behavior: A laboratory study

Abstract

84 business students participated in a face-to-face collective bargaining simulation in which Ss assumed the roles of union and management negotiators. Two mediation and 4 arbitration conditions were manipulated. Dyads bargaining under total-package, final offer arbitration left significantly fewer issues unresolved than did dyads bargaining under conventional arbitration or issue-by-issue final offer arbitration. Whereas mediation did not have an independent effect on bargaining behavior, it interacted significantly with mode of arbitration to influence bargaining behavior. Under the mediation condition, more issues were left unresolved under conventional arbitration than under any other anticipated form of 3rd-party intervention. On the other hand, under the no-mediation condition, total-package/final-offer arbitration and no arbitration resulted in the fewest number of unresolved issues. (21 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)