Managing discrimination in selection: The influence of directives from an authority and social dominance orientation.

The authors examined one manner in which to decrease the negative impact of social dominance orientation (SDO), an individual difference variable that indicates support for the "domination of 'inferior' groups by 'superior' groups" (J. Sidanius & F. Pratto, 1999, p. 48), on the selection of candidates from low-status groups within society. Consistent with the tenets of social dominance theory, in 2 studies we found that those high in SDO reported that they were less likely to select a potential team member who is a member of a low-status group (i.e., a White female in Study 1 and a Black male in Study 2) than those low in SDO. However, explicit directives from an authority moderated this effect such that those high in SDO were more likely to select both candidates when authority figures clearly communicated that job performance indicators should be used when choosing team members. Thus, our studies suggest that the negative effects of SDO may be attenuated if those high in SDO are instructed by superiors to use legitimate performance criteria to evaluate job candidates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does social dominance generate prejudice? Integrating individual and contextual determinants of intergroup cognitions.

Social dominance orientation (SDO) has been proposed as an important variable in the explanation of prejudice. We distinguish between three conceptualizations of SDO: SDO as a personality trait (personality model), SDO as a moderator of the effects of situational variables (Person X Situation model), and SDO as a mediator of the effect of social position on prejudice (group socialization model [GSM]). Four studies (N = 1,657) looking at the relations between social positions, SDO, and prejudice in a natural setting and in a laboratory setting provide strong support for the GSM. In contrast to previous correlational findings, there is evidence of a cause (dominant social position), an effect (prejudice increases), and a mediator (SDO). These results suggest new perspectives on the integration of individual and contextual determinants of prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social dominance orientation and the political psychology of gender: A case of invariance?

Social dominance theory assumes transsituational and transcultural differences between men and women in social dominance orientation (SDO), with men showing higher levels of SDO than women. SDO is a general individual-difference variable expressing preference for superordinate in-group status, hierarchical relationships between social groups, and a view of group relations as inherently 0-sum. Data from a random sample of 1,897 respondents from Los Angeles County confirmed the notion that men have significantly higher social dominance scores than women and that these differences were consistent across cultural, demographic, and situational factors such as age, social class, religion, educational level, political ideology, ethnicity, racism, region of national origin, and gender-role relevant opinion. The theoretical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting student attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 4(3) of Journal of Diversity in Higher Education (see record 2011-16523-001). There are two errors in Table 2 under the RWA heading and the Cog-gender heading. The necessary changes are provided in the erratum.] [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Journal of Diversity in Higher Education on August 1 2011 (see record 2011-16523-001). There are two errors in Table 2. Under the RWA heading, the SDO row should have indicated a positive correlation of .266**, not -.266**. Under the Cog-gender heading, the SDO row should have indicated a negative correlation of -.438**, not .438**.] Factors related to attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity were examined in an ethnically diverse sample of 432 college students (167 European Americans, 83 African Americans, 81 Asian Americans, and 82 Hispanic Americans). In addition to variables of self-interest (i.e., ethnicity, gender, and political views), social ideology (i.e., social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism) and personality traits (openness to experience) were uniquely predictive of attitudes about racial diversity and gender equity. Hierarchical regressions revealed that social dominance orientation most strongly predicted racial attitudes, while right-wing authoritarianism most strongly predicted gender attitudes. Implications for diversity education efforts related to prejudice reduction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do you two know each other? Transitivity, homophily, and the need for (network) closure.

The authors investigate whether need for closure affects how people seek order in judging social relations. In Study 1, the authors find that people who have a high need for closure (NFC) were more likely to assume their social contacts were connected to each other (i.e., transitivity) when this was not the case. In Studies 2 and 3, the authors examine another form of order in network relations—racial homophily—and find that high-NFC participants were more inclined to believe that 2 individuals from the same racial category (e.g., African American) were friends than two racially dissimilar individuals. Furthermore, high-NFC individuals were more likely to make errors when judging a racially mixed group of people; specifically, they recalled more racial homophily (racially similar people sitting closer together) than had actually appeared. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are primates behaviorists: Formal dominance, cognition, and free-floating rationales.

Contrary to a recent claim (D. Maestripieri, 1996), the concept of formal dominance (F. B. M. de Waal, 1986) is not dependent on higher order intentionality (D. C. Dennett, 1983). Instead, it is implied that primates have a concept of relative dominance and express this relational assessment by context-independent, unidirectional status indicators. Present evidence supports the view that primates are able to categorize social relationships. In a semiotic framework, a distinction is made between (a) ritualized displays that are symptoms of acute emotional states (e.g., fear) and (b) formal status indicators that are symbols for a long-term social relationship (e.g., subordination). Criteria to distinguish empirically between these functions relate to species membership and familiarity of interactants, consolidation of relationships, spontaneity of signaling, and specialization of signals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes and behaviors toward lesbian and gay persons: Critical correlates and mediated relations.

With data from 255 college women and men, this study examined the relative strength of relations of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and traditional gender role attitudes (TGRA) with anti-lesbian and gay (LG) attitudes. This study also tested the mediating role of anti-LG attitudes in the relations of RWA, SDO, and TGRA with LG-rejecting and -affirming behaviors. Results pointed to the importance of the relations of TGRA and RWA, but not SDO, with anti-LG attitudes and LG-rejecting behaviors. Furthermore, anti-LG attitudes mediated the links of RWA and TGRA with LG-rejecting behaviors. With regard to LG-affirming behaviors, TGRA was the only unique correlate, and anti-LG attitudes did not serve as a mediator. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups.

More Americans try to change their health behaviors through self-help than through all other forms of professionally designed programs. Mutual support groups, involving little or no cost to participants, have a powerful effect on mental and physical health, yet little is known about patterns of support-group participation in health care. Why do groups form? Do people seek support at comparable levels across illness categories? Are patterns of support seeking similar for real-world support groups and computer-based virtual support groups? In an effort to observe social comparison processes with real-world relevance, support-group participation was measured for 20 disease categories in 4 metropolitan areas (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas) and on nationwide on-line discussion groups. Support seeking was highest for diseases viewed as most stigmatizing (e.g., AIDS, alcoholism, breast and prostate cancer) and was lowest for less embarrassing but equally devastating disorders, such as heart disease. The authors discuss implications for social comparison theory and the use of Internet support groups for research and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarian dynamics and unethical decision making: High social dominance orientation leaders and high right-wing authoritarianism followers.

When dilemmas require trade-offs between profits and ethics, do leaders high in social dominance orientation (SDO) and followers high in right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) make decisions that are more unethical than those made by others? This issue was explored in 4 studies with female participants performing managerial role-playing tasks. First, dyads comprising a person who was either low or high in SDO and a person who was either low or high in RWA negotiated for a leadership position. People high in SDO were more likely to obtain leader positions than to obtain follower positions. No other effects were significant. Second, leaders high in SDO partnered with an agreeable (confederate) follower made decisions that were more unethical than those of leaders low in SDO. Third, followers high in RWA were more acquiescent to and supportive of an unethical (confederate) leader than were followers low in RWA. Fourth, high SDO leader-high RWA follower dyads made decisions that were more unethical than those made in role-reversed dyads because leaders had more influence. Implications of these results for conceptualizing SDO, RWA, and authoritarian dynamics are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Hodson, Rush, and MacInnis (2010).

Reports an error in "A joke is just a joke (except when it isn't): Cavalier humor beliefs facilitate the expression of group dominance motives" by Gordon Hodson, Jonathan Rush and Cara C. MacInnis (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2010[Oct], Vol 99[4], 660-682). In the article there was an error in Table 6. The last row of data should have read “Obese”, not “Mexican”. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-20570-003.) Past research reveals preferences for disparaging humor directed toward disliked others. The group-dominance model of humor appreciation introduces the hypothesis that beyond initial outgroup attitudes, social dominance motives predict favorable reactions toward jokes targeting low-status outgroups through a subtle hierarchy-enhancing legitimizing myth: cavalier humor beliefs (CHB). CHB characterizes a lighthearted, less serious, uncritical, and nonchalant approach toward humor that dismisses potential harm to others. As expected, CHB incorporates both positive (affiliative) and negative (aggressive) humor functions that together mask biases, correlating positively with prejudices and prejudice-correlates (including social dominance orientation [SDO]; Study 1). Across 3 studies in Canada, SDO and CHB predicted favorable reactions toward jokes disparaging Mexicans (low-status outgroup). Neither individual difference predicted neutral (nonintergroup) joke reactions, despite the jokes being equally amusing and more inoffensive overall. In Study 2, joke content targeting Mexicans, Americans (high-status outgroup), and Canadians (high-status ingroup) was systematically controlled. Although Canadians preferred jokes labeled as anti-American overall, an underlying subtle pattern emerged at the individual-difference level: Only those higher in SDO appreciated those jokes labeled as anti-Mexican (reflecting social dominance motives). In all studies, SDO predicted favorable reactions toward low-status outgroup jokes almost entirely through heightened CHB, a subtle yet potent legitimatizing myth that “justifies” expressions of group dominance motives. In Study 3, a pretest–posttest design revealed the implications of this justification process: CHB contributes to trivializing outgroup jokes as inoffensive (harmless), subsequently contributing to postjoke prejudice. The implications for humor in intergroup contexts are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent–child role reversal and psychological adjustment among immigrant youth in Israel.

Parent–child role reversal and its relation to psychological adjustment was investigated in Israel among immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Study 1 examined immigrant and Israeli-born college students (n = 184), and Study 2 examined adolescents (n = 180) by means of self-report questionnaires. Two major factors of role reversal emerged: child dominance and family support. The results of both studies clearly showed that immigrants assume more dominant roles and parental responsibilities in their families and receive less support from their parents than their Israeli-born peers. Role reversal dimensions had differential relations with adjustment. Child dominance was mostly not related to adjustment, except for a positive correlation with psychological distress among immigrants. Familial support appeared to be the most important factor related to better adjustment among all studied groups, immigrants included. It is interesting that language brokering (i.e., translating for parents), although associated with child dominance, was negatively related to self-perceptions. Possible explanations within the Israeli context are suggested for negative language brokering correlates, with support from the interviews conducted among the immigrants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A joke is just a joke (except when it isn't): Cavalier humor beliefs facilitate the expression of group dominance motives.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 100(2) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2011-01042-001). In the article “A Joke Is Just a Joke (Except When It Isn’t): Cavalier Humor Beliefs Facilitate the Expression of Group Dominance Motives,” by Gordon Hodson, Jonathan Rush, and Cara C. MacInnis (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2010, Vol. 99, No. 4, pp. 660–682), there was an error in Table 6. The last row of data should have read “Obese”, not “Mexican”.] Past research reveals preferences for disparaging humor directed toward disliked others. The group-dominance model of humor appreciation introduces the hypothesis that beyond initial outgroup attitudes, social dominance motives predict favorable reactions toward jokes targeting low-status outgroups through a subtle hierarchy-enhancing legitimizing myth: cavalier humor beliefs (CHB). CHB characterizes a lighthearted, less serious, uncritical, and nonchalant approach toward humor that dismisses potential harm to others. As expected, CHB incorporates both positive (affiliative) and negative (aggressive) humor functions that together mask biases, correlating positively with prejudices and prejudice-correlates (including social dominance orientation [SDO]; Study 1). Across 3 studies in Canada, SDO and CHB predicted favorable reactions toward jokes disparaging Mexicans (low-status outgroup). Neither individual difference predicted neutral (nonintergroup) joke reactions, despite the jokes being equally amusing and more inoffensive overall. In Study 2, joke content targeting Mexicans, Americans (high-status outgroup), and Canadians (high-status ingroup) was systematically controlled. Although Canadians preferred jokes labeled as anti-American overall, an underlying subtle pattern emerged at the individual-difference level: Only those higher in SDO appreciated those jokes labeled as anti-Mexican (reflecting social dominance motives). In all studies, SDO predicted favorable reactions toward low-status outgroup jokes almost entirely through heightened CHB, a subtle yet potent legitimatizing myth that “justifies” expressions of group dominance motives. In Study 3, a pretest–posttest design revealed the implications of this justification process: CHB contributes to trivializing outgroup jokes as inoffensive (harmless), subsequently contributing to postjoke prejudice. The implications for humor in intergroup contexts are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Categorize Unknown Conspecifics According to Their Dominance Relations.

The authors trained 3 adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to categorize pairs of unknown conspecifics presented in a video according to the dominance status of the videotaped monkeys. The subjects were trained to choose the dominant monkey for a category of films (e.g., films showing 1 monkey chasing another); then, new films were presented involving different conspecifics, and the monkeys' first responses to this new category of behavior (e.g., monkeys fighting) were taken as evidence of transfer. Two subjects were able to generalize categorical judgments of dominance to new films involving new behaviors. These findings seem to indicate that monkeys can use abstract social concepts and are aware of the social relationships within their group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparing for life: The critical transition of adolescence.

Discusses recent events that have drastically changed the experience of adolescence (e.g., confusion about adult roles and difficulty in foreseeing the future, erosion of family and social support networks) and describes the activities of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development to help redress these problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diabetes-specific social learning variables and self-care behaviors among persons with Type II diabetes.

Assessed the relationship between diabetes-specific social learning factors and diabetes self-care in 127 outpatients (age 40–88 yrs) with Type II diabetes. Predictor variables were collected within the categories of knowledge (e.g., behavioral demonstrations, pencil-and-paper tests), beliefs/expectations (e.g., self-efficacy, self-motivation), skills (e.g., problem-solving and refusal skills), and environmental support (e.g., barriers to adherence, family support). Multiple regression analyses revealed that social learning variables consistently improved the prediction of self-care beyond that attributable to demographic variables. However, the categories of social learning variables most closely related to self-care varied across 3 regimen areas (diet, exercise, and glucose testing). It is concluded that behavioral research on Type II diabetes should focus on ways to initiate and maintain lifestyle changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intergroup consensus/disagreement in support of group-based hierarchy: An examination of socio-structural and psycho-cultural factors.

A meta-analysis examined the extent to which socio-structural and psycho-cultural characteristics of societies correspond with how much gender and ethnic/racial groups differ on their support of group-based hierarchy. Robustly, women opposed group-based hierarchy more than men did, and members of lower power ethnic/racial groups opposed group-based hierarchy more than members of higher power ethnic/racial groups did. As predicted by social dominance theory, gender differences were larger, more stable, and less variable from sample to sample than differences between ethnic/racial groups. Subordinate gender and ethnic/racial group members disagreed more with dominants in their views of group-based hierarchy in societies that can be considered more liberal and modern (e.g., emphasizing individualism and change from traditions), as well as in societies that enjoyed greater gender equality. The relations between gender and ethnic/racial groups are discussed, and implications are developed for social dominance theory, social role theory, biosocial theory, social identity theory, system justification theory, realistic group conflict theory, and relative deprivation theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The gender gap in occupational role attainment: A social dominance approach.

Investigated the evidence of a gender gap in occupational role attainment in 3 experiments with 316 undergraduates. The authors present archival evidence that men disproportionately hold occupational roles that enhance group-based inequality and that women disproportionately hold roles that attenuate group-based inequality. Evidence for 3 processes that may contribute to this pattern was found: self-selection that is based on gender-linked differences in support for group inequality (social dominance orientation), hiring biases that are based on matching job applicants' group equality values with the hierarchy function of the job, and gender-stereotyped hiring biases. These processes were found across a number of occupations and participant variables. The social systems nature of these processes and the implications of the results for theoretical understandings of gender roles, social inequality, and theories of stereotyping are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in the evaluation and performance of dominant acts.

D. Bakan (see PA, Vol 41:2200) conceptualizes 2 major modes of existence: agency and communion. In the agentic (masculine) mode, the individual is concerned with self-protection, self-assertion, and self-enhancement. Communion involves concern with the larger group of which one is a part. Two studies were conducted to explore these distinctions in the domain of dominance. In the 1st, 57 undergraduates evaluated 100 acts, previously and independently nominated as dominant, on their social desirability. Male raters judged self-enhancing and self-asserting acts (e.g., flattering someone to get one's way) as relatively more desirable than did female raters, who judged group-oriented, communal acts (e.g., introducing a speaker at a meeting) as more desirable. In the 2nd study, 83 Ss examined sex differences in the behaviors that express dominance. Dominant men tended to express their dominance through both communal and agentic acts, whereas dominant women tended to express dominance primarily through group-oriented actions. Results lend support to the agency/communion conceptualization and suggest sex-linked differentiation of dominant behavior. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between social support, infant risk status and mother–infant interaction.

The purpose of this study was to describe the nature of the social support network of mothers from inner-city, poor families with high-risk infants and to examine the relation between mother's social support network and maternal behavior. When their infants were 3 months of age, mothers were interviewed concerning sources of support (e.g., fathers, relatives, and friends) and type of support received (i.e., goods, services, advice, and financial support). Observations of the mother–infant interaction in a free-play setting were also obtained. Results revealed that goods was the type of support most frequently mentioned, and relatives were mentioned as giving support more often than friends. Mothers of premature infants reported fewer people giving goods than mothers of term infants. The results of this study also indicated that source and type of support to mother were important factors for understanding maternal behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Androgyny and leadership in mixed-sex groups.

An investigation of individual differences in psychological androgyny showed that they interacted with situational variables to alter the balance of leadership between 107 men and 107 women undergraduates in small-group discussions, as predicted. Each group was composed of either all androgynous or all sex-typed members. The 9 leadership measures represented process (e.g., minutes of speaking time), content (e.g., number of substantive suggestions), and peer impressions (e.g., leadership ratings). Results indicate that when dyads were reminded about their gender role beliefs before the discussion, androgynous men and women shared leadership more and sex-typed partners less than comparable dyads without reminder, in which men dominated regardless of androgyny. Providing social support by increasing group size from dyads to tetrads (2 men, 2 women) also increased leadership sharing between androgynous men and women and increased male dominance in sex-typed groups. Androgynous and sex-typed friends were more active than strangers but did not differ from comparable strangers in leadership-sharing patterns. Peer recognition of leadership followed behavior only roughly. Some behavioral differences were unrecognized; some differences that did not exist were reported. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)