Two
studies on distributive justice norms used by Turkish students have been
conducted. The purpose of the first study was to answer the question of which
distributive justice norms were preferred more than others and to examine
whether preferred justice norms varied depending on type of the relationship.
Five hundred and seventy-seven voluntary students participated in the study.
Results indicated that students preferred different justice norms for different
relationships. Specifically, equity was preferred more for impersonal
relationships, whereas need was used more for family relationships. In the
second study, the role of attributing responsibility in using the need norm was
investigated. Three hundred and ninety-nine undergraduate students participated
in the study. Scenarios were used in order to manipulate responsibility
attributions. The results revealed that the cause of low performance had a
significant effect on allocation decisions whereas the cause of need did not.
Keywords: Distributive justice norms, equity, equality, need, type of relationship, attribution of responsibility