Article Version of Record

Magnitude estimation is influenced by social power

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Huber, Stefan
Bloechle, Johannes
Dackermann, Tanja
Scholl, Annika
Sassenberg, Kai
Moeller, Korbinian

Abstract / Description

The action-specific perception account suggests that how people perceive the environment depends on their ability to act on it, assuming that estimation is influenced by inter-individual traits, but also by situated states. Moreover, several studies revealed that social power affects basic cognitive processes and even influences the way we perceive the physical environment. In the present study, we examined whether social power also influences estimation performance of spatial magnitudes (i.e., line estimation). Participants estimated the line length of a given number in an increase and a decrease condition, after (low versus high) social power had been manipulated between participants via role assignment. In the increase condition, low-power participants overestimated line lengths, whereas such a bias was not observed for high-power participants. In contrast, the power manipulation did not affect performance in the decrease condition, suggesting that proportion-judgement strategies might have been applied here, thereby reducing the overall bias in line estimations. Our findings support the notion that social power has an impact on the perception of the physical environment and that perception can depend on personal as well as situational factors. Moreover, the present research suggests that high (compared to low) social power may help people to overcome biases in overestimating magnitudes.

Keyword(s)

magnitude estimation social power production task bounded unbounded

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2017-12-22

Journal title

Journal of Numerical Cognition

Volume

3

Issue

2

Page numbers

147–163

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Huber, S., Bloechle, J., Dackermann, T., Scholl, A., Sassenberg, K., & Moeller, K. (2017). Magnitude estimation is influenced by social power. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(2), 147–163. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i2.52
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Huber, Stefan
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Bloechle, Johannes
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Dackermann, Tanja
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Scholl, Annika
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Sassenberg, Kai
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Moeller, Korbinian
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-21T11:42:46Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-21T11:42:46Z
  • Date of first publication
    2017-12-22
  • Abstract / Description
    The action-specific perception account suggests that how people perceive the environment depends on their ability to act on it, assuming that estimation is influenced by inter-individual traits, but also by situated states. Moreover, several studies revealed that social power affects basic cognitive processes and even influences the way we perceive the physical environment. In the present study, we examined whether social power also influences estimation performance of spatial magnitudes (i.e., line estimation). Participants estimated the line length of a given number in an increase and a decrease condition, after (low versus high) social power had been manipulated between participants via role assignment. In the increase condition, low-power participants overestimated line lengths, whereas such a bias was not observed for high-power participants. In contrast, the power manipulation did not affect performance in the decrease condition, suggesting that proportion-judgement strategies might have been applied here, thereby reducing the overall bias in line estimations. Our findings support the notion that social power has an impact on the perception of the physical environment and that perception can depend on personal as well as situational factors. Moreover, the present research suggests that high (compared to low) social power may help people to overcome biases in overestimating magnitudes.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Huber, S., Bloechle, J., Dackermann, T., Scholl, A., Sassenberg, K., & Moeller, K. (2017). Magnitude estimation is influenced by social power. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(2), 147–163. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i2.52
    en_US
  • ISSN
    2363-8761
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1261
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1453
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i2.52
  • Keyword(s)
    magnitude estimation
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    social power
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    production task
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    bounded
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    unbounded
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Magnitude estimation is influenced by social power
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    2
  • Journal title
    Journal of Numerical Cognition
  • Page numbers
    147–163
  • Volume
    3
  • zpid.relation.hasequivalent
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.801
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record