A 2 x 2 model of sociocognitive conflict regulation

While social-cognitive views emphasize the social context in which learning occurs (e.g., Piaget), how incompetent individuals cooperate with their peers remains unclear. In this research, a new type of epistemic regulation, concurrence-seeking epistemic regulation, was proposed, which was hypothesized to be adopted more by low-competence individuals in cooperative contexts. This hypothesis was tested by examining the main effects of perceived competence (high versus low) and social interdependence (cooperation versus competition) on sociocognitive conflict regulation. We aimed to validate a new 2 x 2 model of sociocognitive conflict regulation with dimensions of perceived competence and social interdependence through a randomized experimental design (Study 1: n = 200; Study 2: n = 500) and a field study of undergraduates' small group experiences (Study 3: n = 230). The results generally supported this model with statistically significant main effects of perceived competence and social interdependence as well as construct validity for concurrence-seeking regulation. Specifically, compared to high-competence individuals, low-competence individuals were more likely to use concurrence-seeking regulation; concurrence-seeking regulation was also more used as individuals perceived the context as more cooperative. The results refine the conceptualization of sociocognitive conflict regulation and inform how to support more effective types of conflict regulation.