Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison

Social comparison plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of personal success and self-worth. Rather than assessing our achievements in isolation, we interpret their significance relative to personal goals and critically in comparison to the performance of others. A grade of B in a mathematics exam might elicit pride if one's expectation was a C, yet result in disappointment if an A was anticipated or if peers achieved superior results. These comparative evaluations illustrate how both...

Relationship Formation

Relationship Formation

What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...

Social Identity

Social Identity

Social identity constitutes a significant aspect of an individual’s self-concept, shaped by membership in various social groups, including gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political affiliation. Individuals associate specific traits with particular social groups, leading to internalization of these traits. For example, musicians are often perceived as creative, while women are frequently associated with nurturing tendencies. Once individuals identify with a...

Need for Self-Esteem

Need for Self-Esteem

The human need for self-esteem has long intrigued psychologists, leading to the development of several theories that explore its evolutionary and functional significance. Among the most influential are the sociometer, hierometer, and terror management theories. Each offers a unique perspective on why people strive for self-worth and how it shapes behavior and social interaction.Sociometer TheoryAccording to sociometer theory, self-esteem functions as an internal gauge of social acceptance. It...

Stereotype Content Model

Stereotype Content Model

The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) was first proposed by Susan Fiske and her colleagues (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002; see also Fiske, 2012 and Fiske, 2017). The SCM specifies that when someone encounters a new group, they will stereotype them based on two metrics: warmth—or that group’s perceived intent, and how likely they are to provide help or inflict harm—and competence—or their ability to carry out that objective. Depending on the warmth-competence...

Self-Discrepancy Theory

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Methylphenidate enhances or impairs the cognitive control of Pavlovian bias depending on working memory capacity.

eLife·2026

Same author

Depression in Parkinson's disease is associated with reduced ventral striatal dopamine transporter binding.

NPJ Parkinson's disease·2026

Same author

Validating molecular target-enriched fMRI for disentangling drug effects on dopamine.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026

Same author

The Conceptualization, Experience, and Recognition of Emotion in Autism: Differences in the Psychological Mechanisms Involved in Autistic and Non-Autistic Emotion Recognition.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research·2026

Same author

Abstract rule generalization for composing novel meaning recruits a frontoparietal control network.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Same author

The coming decade of digital brain research: A vision for neuroscience at the intersection of technology and computing.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 20, 2026

A Complex Diving-For-Food Task to Investigate Social Organization and Interactions in Rats

A Complex Diving-For-Food Task to Investigate Social Organization and Interactions in Rats

Published on: May 8, 2021

The social dominance paradox.

Jennifer Louise Cook¹, Hanneke E M den Ouden², Cecilia M Heyes³

¹Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, City University London, London EC1R 0JD, UK.

Current Biology : CB

|December 3, 2014

Summary

Dominant people value independence but paradoxically rely more on social learning. Aggressively dominant individuals, however, do not use social information, challenging stereotypes about dominance and learning.

More Related Videos

Assessing Social Dominance in Mouse Models Using the Tube Test

Assessing Social Dominance in Mouse Models Using the Tube Test

Published on: June 6, 2025

Assessing Dominant-Submissive Behavior in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Assessing Dominant-Submissive Behavior in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Published on: December 16, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026

A Complex Diving-For-Food Task to Investigate Social Organization and Interactions in Rats

A Complex Diving-For-Food Task to Investigate Social Organization and Interactions in Rats

Published on: May 8, 2021

Assessing Social Dominance in Mouse Models Using the Tube Test

Assessing Social Dominance in Mouse Models Using the Tube Test

Published on: June 6, 2025

Assessing Dominant-Submissive Behavior in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Assessing Dominant-Submissive Behavior in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Published on: December 16, 2022

Area of Science:

Psychology
Behavioral Science
Social Neuroscience

Background:

Dominant individuals are stereotyped as independent and dismissive of others' input.
Nonhuman animal studies suggest dominant individuals are adept social learners, contrasting with human stereotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between social dominance and social learning in humans.
To test whether dominant humans exhibit a "social dominance paradox" where they value independence but utilize social information.

Main Methods:

Utilized self-report scales and computerized decision-making tasks to assess social dominance and social learning.
Differentiated between socially dominant and aggressively dominant subtypes.

Main Results:

Socially dominant individuals, despite valuing independence, showed increased reliance on social learning in complex tasks.
Aggressively dominant individuals did not utilize social information, even when beneficial.
This contrasts with the lay stereotype that all dominant individuals ignore external input.

Conclusions:

Challenges the simplistic stereotype of dominant individuals as solely independent.
Highlights a "social dominance paradox" in human decision-making, where social dominance correlates with enhanced social learning.
Suggests distinct social learning strategies for different dominance subtypes, with implications for various decision-making contexts.