The Hierarchical Face: Higher Rankings Lead to Less Cooperative Looks

Journal Article

Patricia Chen, Christopher G. Myers, Shirli Kopelman, Stephen M. Garcia
Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 97(2), 2012 Mar, pp. 479-486

DOI: 10.1037/a0026308

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APA Click to copy
Chen, P., Myers, C. G., Kopelman, S., & Garcia, S. M. (2012). The Hierarchical Face: Higher Rankings Lead to Less Cooperative Looks. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2), 479–486. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026308

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Chen, Patricia, Christopher G. Myers, Shirli Kopelman, and Stephen M. Garcia. “The Hierarchical Face: Higher Rankings Lead to Less Cooperative Looks.” Journal of Applied Psychology 97, no. 2 (March 2012): 479–486.

MLA Click to copy
Chen, Patricia, et al. “The Hierarchical Face: Higher Rankings Lead to Less Cooperative Looks.” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 97, no. 2, Mar. 2012, pp. 479–86, doi:10.1037/a0026308 .

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{patricia2012a,
  title = {The Hierarchical Face: Higher Rankings Lead to Less Cooperative Looks},
  year = {2012},
  month = mar,
  issue = {2},
  journal = {Journal of Applied Psychology},
  pages = {479-486},
  volume = {97},
  doi = {10.1037/a0026308 },
  author = {Chen, Patricia and Myers, Christopher G. and Kopelman, Shirli and Garcia, Stephen M.},
  month_numeric = {3}
}

In 3 studies, we tested the hypothesis that the higher ranked an individual's group is, the less cooperative the facial expression of that person is judged to be. Study 1 established this effect among business school deans, with observers rating individuals from higher ranked schools as appearing less cooperative, despite lacking prior knowledge of the latters' actual rankings. Study 2 then experimentally manipulated ranking, showing that the effect of rankings on facial expressions is driven by context rather than by individual differences per se. Finally, Study 3 demonstrated that the repercussions of this effect extend beyond the perception of cooperativeness to tangible behavioral outcomes in social interactions. Theoretical and practical implications of this phenomenon are discussed.