In Search of Adams' Other: Reexamination of Referents Used in the Evaluation of Pay

Abstract

The paper provides a reexamination of Goodman's (1974) study of the referents used in evaluating pay. The present field research, largely in corroboration of Goodman (1974), found that perceptions of pay equity with respect to three classes of referents are strongly associated with pay satisfaction. In addition, pay valence was found to be associated with perceptions of equity vis-a-vis referent classes. This research was generally not supportive of Goodman's identification of factors affecting the selection of referents. Implications for future research are discussed.