Moneyball: Studying Effects of Ostracism on Both Targets and Voluntary Sources

Abstract

This study develops and employs a novel paradigm called “Moneyball” - a modification of the “Cyberball” framework with monetary incentives - to simultaneously examine the consequences of ostracism on both targets and sources in an interactive and deception-free environment (N = 504 university students). Validating the paradigm, we observe comparable detrimental impacts on targets’ need satisfaction and mood to those observed in nonincentivized studies. Sources experienced some positive effects on belonging, meaningful existence, and control but suffered a decline in self-esteem and mood. Both sources and targets allocated less money to group members than inclusive participants, even when financial equality was maintained. Thus, Moneyball offers a viable method to examine voluntary social exclusion in a unified framework.