Rules Used by Brazilian Students in Systematic and Nonsystematic Reward Allocation

The use of distributive rules was compared in systematic and nonsystematic allocation. Two hypotheses were tested: (a) Systematic divisions will increase the proportion of equity responses, and (b) Equal distributions will be justified on the basis of the sameness of the characters' effort or ability. The subjects were 742 Brazilian undergraduates. The results indicated that the equity rule was used most often when it resulted in the equal division of resources. When allocations were systematic, there were significant increases in the proportion of equity, in some conditions. The second hypothesis was supported only for effort.