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reactive_devaluation
Reactive devaluation is the tendency to devalue proposals, concessions, or ideas simply because they originate from an adversary or perceived opponent. A proposal that would be seen as fair or generous from a neutral party is automatically discounted or viewed with suspicion when it comes from 'the other side.' This bias is a major obstacle to negotiation and conflict resolution.
During labor negotiations, management proposes a benefits package that union members would have accepted if it came from their own leadership. Instead, because it comes from management, union members assume it must contain hidden disadvantages and reject it.
A school board rejects a cost-saving facilities proposal the moment they learn it originated from a rival district superintendent, even though an identical proposal drafted by their own administrator had been circulating internally as a promising idea just weeks earlier.
A customer dismisses a genuinely useful product recommendation from a salesperson as a pushy upsell, but when a friend mentions the exact same product the following week, she immediately orders it — the advice itself had not changed, only its source.
Binary (yes/no) questions an LLM must answer to identify this aspect:
Is a proposal being dismissed primarily because of who proposed it?
Type: binaryWould the same proposal be viewed more favorably if it came from a different source?
Type: binaryIs the evaluation of the content contaminated by feelings about the proposer?
Type: binaryReactive devaluation is the tendency to devalue proposals, concessions, or ideas simply because they originate from an adversary or perceived opponent. A proposal that would be seen as fair or generous from a neutral party is automatically discounted or viewed with suspicion when it comes from 'the other side.' This bias is a major obstacle to negotiation and conflict resolution.
When an adversary makes a concession, people assume it must serve the adversary's interests more than it appears to. The reasoning is: 'If they are offering it, it must not be as valuable as it seems, or they must be getting something hidden in return.'
Evaluate proposals on their objective merits without considering who made them. Have a neutral third party present proposals anonymously, or establish clear evaluation criteria before proposals are exchanged.
Reactive devaluation has been documented in international diplomacy (arms reduction proposals rejected when attributed to the opposing nation), political negotiations, and even interpersonal conflicts such as divorce proceedings.
Use these tools to detect, analyze, or train this aspect.