INDIVIDUAL TASK PERFORMANCE IN A CHANGING SOCIAL STRUCTURE.
Abstract
The relationship between changes in status and task performance involving simple reaction time responses is studied. Status is manipulated by assigning to group members different degrees of control over the group product and by subsequently creating conditions which require that control be reallocated. The degree of control members have over the group product defines their status rank in the group. Two experiments are presented in which performance effects deriving from status changes are examined. In the first, the highest ranked member is demoted and the lowest ranked member, promoted. In the second experiment members of intermediate ranks are shifted both up and down. Both experiments demonstrate that a member's performance improves when his status is increased and his performance suffers when his status is decreased. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 15, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0601868
Entities
People
- Eugene Burnstein
- Robert B. Zajonc
Organizations
- University of Michigan