Social Status

What are the three learning goals of the lecture?

Identify measures of SSS and developmental findings; examine children’s associations between groups and status; explore how status judgments shape asymmetric social preferences

What are cues to high social status?

Physical size; physical strength; material wealth; decision-making power; social influence

Define Subjective Social Status (SSS) according to Davis (1956)

A person’s belief about their location in a status order

Define SSS according to Quon & McGrath (2014)

An individual’s perception of their place in the socioeconomic structure

What health implications are associated with lower SSS?

Lower overall health, reduced life expectancy, more depression

What does the MacArthur Ladder Task measure?

Children’s subjective social status

What sample was used in Peretz-Lange et al. (2022)?

377 children aged 4–10 in the USA

How was actual family status calculated in Peretz-Lange et al. (2022)?

Parents reported income and zip code; income compared to zip code averages

What eight status cues were coded?

Money, houses, material belongings, food, parent occupation, parent education, neighborhood, lifestyle

What did Peretz-Lange et al. (2022) find about SSS over development?

SSS declined and accuracy improved as children aged

What did Peretz-Lange et al. find about haves vs. have-nots?

SSS linked to what children lack, not what they have or cues used

What were the main details of Study 1 (Mandalaywala et al. 2020)?

Focused on gender; 215 children aged 3.5–6.9; diverse racial backgrounds

What were children told about kids at the top of the rope?

They have lots of toys and new clothes and choose games/snacks

What were children told about kids at the bottom of the rope?

They have no toys or new clothes and never choose games/snacks

Did children use gender to place kids on the status ladder? 

Yes

Did children use gender when assigning kids to houses? 

No

Did children use race to place kids on the status ladder?

No

Did children use race to assign kids to houses?

Yes

What complication was introduced in the house trials?

Kids had to match children to houses varying in niceness

What overall conclusion was drawn?

Status influences children’s judgments but cannot fully explain ingroup bias

The status judgements are not

natural nor are they inevitable