Chapter 3 - Psychological Processes

Summary

Chapter 3 examines the psychological processes that are important when people are forming perceptions of procedural fairness. The psychology of perceived procedural fairness discussed here argues that quite often people start out with a general hunch that things do not feel right. Cognitive processes help us to understand how to interpret this hunch, allowing people to start forming perceptions of procedural fairness in more confident ways. Groups may facilitate this process, for example, by communicating certain frames about how to interpret what has happened and what group members should do about this. People need to know that they are making progress toward meaningful goals, and this also plays a crucial role in the formation of fairness judgments. How these psychological processes work out in institutional contexts is also important and is discussed as well.