In the study of status differentiation, two dimensions of status characteristics have received special attention: the specificity-diffuseness dimension and the relevant-irrelevant dimension. A laboratory experiment manipulates a specific status characteristic, ability for "creative writing." Relevancy of the diffuse status characteristic, sex, is…

Ninety college students were randomly assigned to be high or low-power and interacted with another who consistently cooperated, consistently competed, or alternately cooperated and competed. Low-power persons were hypothesized to be motivated to take another's cognitive perspective in order to reduce their uncertainty and to help them decide how…