Chris Kast
Social Behavior as Exchange
George C. Homans
Reward - Cost = Profit
Homans’ why-question: How might viewing social behavior as exchange clarify the literature on small groups?
Homans’ motivational mechanism: “Persons that give much to others try to get much from others, and persons that get much from
others are under pressure to give much to them” (Homans, p. 606).
Exchange Paradigm
Homans draws from the basic tenets of operant conditioning to posit the relationship between a behavior and its emission. This he
establishes as the mechanisms of a paradigm of exchange (Homans, p. 598).
 Extinction: Slow tapering off and eventual cessation of a behavior when it no longer results in the perceived benefit.
 Satiation: The reduction of behavior when a large amount of the reinforcing stimulus is given.
 Aversive Stimulus: Unwanted events which when associated with the reinforcer lead to a reduction in the behavior.
Practical Equilibrium
Simply, no change occurs in observed behavior between the first measurement and the final measurement (Homans, p. 600).
Change in
Behavior
Low Profit
Greatest
High Profit
???
Distributive Justice
“Status congruence becomes….if the costs of the members of one group are higher than those of another, distributive justice
requires that their rewards should be higher too” (Homans, p. 604).
Social Structure
Due to cost increasing with frequency the basic social structure is of a few “rich” individuals making a small number of exchanges
with many individuals, and “poorer” individuals making a larger numbers of exchanges among themselves.