Procedural fairness moderates the influence of advantageous-unequal and disadvantageous-unequal outcomes on cooperation

This study investigated the influence of procedural fairness and distributive fairness on individual cooperative behavior among 80 participants through the chicken game task. The findings reveal that distributive fairness affects cooperation. Moreover, there is an interaction effect between procedural and distributive fairness on cooperation. Specifically, under the three distribution conditions, when the outcome was fair, the fairness of the procedure did not affect cooperation; when there was an unfair advantage, an unfair procedure would enhance individual cooperation; when there was an unfair disadvantage, a fair procedure would boost individual cooperation.