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Does power magnify the expression of dispositions?
Ana Guinote1, Mario Weick, Alice Cai
1Department of Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences, University College London, UK. a.guinote@ucl.ac.uk
Psychological Science
|March 21, 2012
Summary
Power influences behavior alignment with personal dispositions, but only when alternative thoughts aren't activated. This research explores how power and accessible constructs shape decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Conventional understanding suggests individuals with power act more in line with their dispositions.
- This effect may be contingent on the activation of alternative cognitive constructs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the moderating role of alternative construct activation on the relationship between power and dispositional congruence.
- To examine the mechanism by which power influences reliance on accessible constructs.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted involving assessment of chronic dispositions and manipulation of power levels.
- Participants were either primed with alternative constructs or not.
- Behavioral responses, including perceptions, preferences, and economic game strategies, were measured.
Main Results:
- When no alternative constructs were activated, power holders' responses aligned more with their dispositions than low-power individuals.
- This difference disappeared when alternative constructs were activated.
- Power consistently increased reliance on accessible constructs, regardless of their origin (chronic or temporary).
Conclusions:
- The influence of power on disposition-congruent behavior is conditional on the absence of activated alternative constructs.
- Power enhances reliance on accessible cognitive constructs, irrespective of whether they are dispositional or situationally induced.
- Findings suggest a unified mechanism for power's effect on construct accessibility and subsequent behavior.
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