Measuring the Consequences of Injustice

Steven J. Scher
University College of the Cariboo

The factor structure and psychometric properties of measures of typical consequences of distributive injustice were explored. Study 1 reports confirmatory factor analyses on two samples of data where university student subjects read vignettes about a student who worked at a particular job and was paid a low wage. Results indicate that judgments of Justice/fairness and of Happiness are clear and measurable consequences of underpay injustice. A Justice Emotions factor (anger & guilt), was also present, although the psychometric properties of this factor suggest that it is not a coherent construct. A method factor was also required to obtain an adequate fit to the data. In Study 2, the Justice and Happiness factors were replicated. Anger and Guilt formed separate factors. However, in an overpay situation, this structure did not fit the data. An exploratory factor analysis suggests that two second-order factors (Happiness/anger and Fairness/guilt) capture the variability in these overpay data. Results are discussed in terms of both theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of distributive justice.


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