In a study conducted in the 1980s during the height of student protests against apartheid in South Africa, students rated highly a plan to divest university funds from South African companies when the plan was presented in the abstract. However, when the same plan was actually proposed by the university administration, students rated it lower because they saw the university administration as "the other side." This is an example of
A) reactive devaluation.
B) conflict negotiation.
C) dehumanization.
D) power-based negotiations.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario demonstrates reactive devaluation, which is the tendency for people to devalue proposals or offers made by those on the opposite side of a conflict simply because they are seen as adversaries. The students initially rated the plan highly, but when it was proposed by the university administration, they lowered their rating, likely because they saw the administration as their opponents.

In a Study Conducted in the 1980s During the Height