UNPUBLISHED, REJECTED MANUSCRIPT NOT TO BE RESUBMITTED: Acting with Conviction: On the Roles of Moral and Religious Convictions in the Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Constitutional Amendment Vote

We investigated how moral and religious convictions relate to voting on a same-sex marriage constitutional amendment. Using data collected before and after people voted on a state constitutional amendment, we examined the psychological conditions under which moral beliefs influence political choice. Voters high in purity-based moral concerns were more likely to vote to ban same-sex marriage, and voters high in fairness-based moral concerns were more likely to vote against banning same-sex marriage. These concerns were particularly important for voters with a moral or religious conviction regarding same-sex marriage. Furthermore, moral and religious convictions moderated the effect of the vote outcome on procedural and outcome fairness perceptions. These results build on prior theory and research in political and moral psychology by highlighting the importance of convictions when understanding the link between moral beliefs and political choice.

Role of regulatory focus in the asymmetric perception of gains versus nonlosses and of losses versus nongains

We tested the effects of regulatory focus on the asymmetric perception of losses versus nongains and of gains versus nonlosses. In Experiment 1, situational regulatory focus was manipulated by a priming task and then participants evaluated the outcome fairness of different distribution scenarios. In Experiment 2, participants completed the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire and then evaluated the outcome fairness of various distribution scenarios. Results showed that: (a) The gains versus nonlosses asymmetry in perceived fairness was stronger with a situational promotion focus, and the losses versus nongains asymmetry in perceived unfairness was stronger with a situational prevention focus; (b) The losses versus nongains asymmetry in perceived unfairness was stronger with a chronic prevention focus, whereas the gains versus nonlosses asymmetry in perceived fairness was positive with both a chronic promotion focus and chronic prevention focus. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that a situational regulatory focus has more extensive effects than does a chronic regulatory focus on asymmetric perceptions of outcomes. These results offer insights for understanding the differences between chronic and situational regulatory focus.

Service fairness and customer behavioural intention

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between service fairness and behavioural intention and the moderating role of demographic variables among retail banking customers. Design/methodology/approach – A four-factor structure consisting of price, procedural, interaction and outcome fairness gleaned from the literature was adopted for the current study. This was used to survey 381 customers of 15 retail banks in Ghana. Exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression were used to analyse the hypothesized relationships among the factors. Findings – The paper found support for the existence of the four-factor structure of service fairness in the retail banking industry. The study also found that price, interaction, procedure and outcome fairness in order of importance significantly predict customer’s behavioural intention. In addition, age, education and income of customers were found to moderate the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Practical implications – The focus of the study on Ghana and in the banking industry limits the generalizability of the findings. However, the four-factor structure identified could be replicated in other countries, thereby setting the stage for cross-country studies on service fairness in the retail banking industry. Originality/value – The paper extends the domain of the application of the four-factor structure of service fairness from restaurants to the retail banking industry. As such, it provides bank managers with a plausible framework on service fairness for managing relationship with customers in retail banks.