Demonstrating Physical Control Over Others Changes One’s Sense of Power: Testing a Novel Manipulation of Physical Formidability
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between physical formidability and social power in modern humans. Previous research has shown that factors related to physical power, such as height, can affect a person’s perception of their own social power. We hypothesized that exercising physical power by engaging in the physical control of the behavior of another individual would affect people’s sense of their own social power and influence. To test this hypothesis, we employed a novel manipulation that used a human-to-human Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device and a confederate to allow participants to feel as though they were able to use their own muscles to control the movement of another person. As part of a larger study, we collected data from ninety-nine women aged 18 to 26 who were randomly assigned to either a condition in which their attempts to control another person were successful (n = 50) or a condition in which their attempts were unsuccessful (n = 49). All participants also complete assessments of self-reported sense of power before and after the manipulation. The results showed significant findings; in particular, participants who could not cause the movement of the confederate reported a significant decrease in their sense of power from the pre-manipulation to post-manipulation assessment. The participants who were able to cause movement of the confederate did not report a significant difference in pre-manipulation to post-manipulation assessment of social power.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Valerie G. Starratt
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-3-2024 12:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2024 1:30 PM
Demonstrating Physical Control Over Others Changes One’s Sense of Power: Testing a Novel Manipulation of Physical Formidability
Alvin Sherman Library
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between physical formidability and social power in modern humans. Previous research has shown that factors related to physical power, such as height, can affect a person’s perception of their own social power. We hypothesized that exercising physical power by engaging in the physical control of the behavior of another individual would affect people’s sense of their own social power and influence. To test this hypothesis, we employed a novel manipulation that used a human-to-human Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device and a confederate to allow participants to feel as though they were able to use their own muscles to control the movement of another person. As part of a larger study, we collected data from ninety-nine women aged 18 to 26 who were randomly assigned to either a condition in which their attempts to control another person were successful (n = 50) or a condition in which their attempts were unsuccessful (n = 49). All participants also complete assessments of self-reported sense of power before and after the manipulation. The results showed significant findings; in particular, participants who could not cause the movement of the confederate reported a significant decrease in their sense of power from the pre-manipulation to post-manipulation assessment. The participants who were able to cause movement of the confederate did not report a significant difference in pre-manipulation to post-manipulation assessment of social power.
