Power and Categorization: Power Increases the Number and Abstractness of Categories. (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Smith, Pamela K.; Smallman, Rachel; Rucker, Derek D.
• Is Part Of: Social psychological & personality science. Volume 7:Number 3(2016:May)
• Page Start: 281
• Page End: 289
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: power -- breadth of categorization -- abstraction; Personality -- Periodicals; Social psychology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 155.2
• DOI: 10.1177/1948550615619760
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1948-5506

Abstract

Across three experiments, participants formed a larger number of categories when in a state of high, compared to low, psychological power. Moreover, in contrast to prior categorization research, which suggests forming more categories is tantamount to reduced breadth of categorization, high-power participants also formed a larger number of superordinate (i.e., more abstract) categories than low-power participants. The present findings enhance the understanding of power in relation to categorization and simultaneously highlight the distinction between number and abstraction as fundamental aspects of categorization.