The Neurodynamics of Social Status
Abstract
Status is a fundamental part of social life, including both formal and informal hierarchies. To date status has largely been studied in terms of outward behaviors and retrospective self-reported perceptions. This is limiting because status processes are dynamic, largely non-conscious, and are subject to reporting bias when they do become conscious (e.g., an enlisted solider may not want to report that he or she questions an officerÕs directive). The proposed research seeks to facilitate our understanding of status processes by linking them to dynamically changing neurological states and behaviors that arise during the course of social interaction. Recent evidence from social neuroscience suggests that status is, in fact, represented and supported by neurological states. However, these studies do not apply to collective, team environments where individuals exchange information during a cooperative task. To address this gap, the proposed work combines insights and multiple methods from neuropsychology and social neuroscience with one of the most rigorous and well-tested sociological explanations of status behavior in team environments, status characteristics theory. The first study proposes the use of electroencephalograms (EEGs) to experimentally examine neural responses in situations where a teammate acts, or fails to act, in a manner consistent with her or his status. This study also explores the use of EEGs for assessing the extent to which individuals are team-oriented and focused on their task. Finally, the first study proposes to explore how personality may condition neural responses in status situations. The second study proposes the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine patterns of brain activation in collective task situations involving a higher- or lower-status partner. Together the proposed studies will advance an interdisciplinary understanding of status processes and lay the groundwork for a cumulative program of basic research. The research program also promises useful practical applications. For example, insofar as the proposed research establishes a useful electrophysiological measure for examining the effects of status expectations and interaction motives, mobile/ambulatory EEG technology could be used to study the trait, state, and situational factors that impede or promote the chain of command in military field exercises. The methods developed may also provide the military with screening procedures for duty assignments. These may prove particularly useful for special duty assignments that are likely to involve mission ambiguities and/or higher levels of stress where the integrity of the chain of command is especially critical to mission success. Finally, the proposed use of fMRI to identify the neural substrates of status in team settings will aid the development and assessment of methods to enhance or attenuate status effects. These kinds of applications promise to advance understanding of the consequences of status-typed behavior in a variety of settings, including simulations of, and preparation and training for, military operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 12, 2017
- Source ID
- W911NF1510102
Entities
People
- William Kalkhoff
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Kent State University
- United States Army