Seeing Wrath from the Top (through Stratified Lenses): Perceivers High in Social Dominance Orientation Show Superior Anger Identification for High-Status Individuals

Abstract

In this research, we test the hypothesis that social status will be an orienting cue to the identification of facial expressions of emotion, particularly angry expressions, especially for those who dispositionally believe that some societal groups should dominate others (Social dominance orientation; Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994). Using an emotion identification task, the expression of anger was identified with greater accuracy on high-status faces than low-status faces, but only for people who endorsed rigid social hierarchies (i.e., high SDO). Furthermore, people who did not endorse social hierarchies (i.e., low SDO) did not show a preference for high-status anger. Thus, the current findings provide a novel account of how social status can be an informative cue to the expression of anger in online perceptions, especially for those who view social dominance as an important framework for society.

Department(s)

Psychological Science

Keywords and Phrases

Anger; Facial Expressions; Social Cognition; Social Dominance; Status

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0022-1031

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2012 Academic Press Inc., All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2012

Link to Full Text

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