Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Deference to Prestige as an Additional Predictor of Economic Conservatism

The present study attempts to develop a new measure predictive of economic conservatism. Past research has shown that social dominance orientation (i.e., a preference for intergroup hierarchy; SDO) predicts economic conservativism. However, SDO may detect only the more overt or conscious forms of support for hierarchy (or a preference for inequality). We posit a complementary construct, deference to prestige (DTP), to capture a less blatant and more prosocial form of bias. We draw on research distinguishing between status based on dominance (i.e., coercion) vs. prestige (i.e., deference freely given) and research showing individuals receive greater deference when conspicuously displaying luxury items. Further, because DTP might entail benefits (e.g., better access to skilled practice) and costs (e.g., exploitation by the prestigious) we predict individuals will show different levels of DTP. To measure DTP, we ask participants to rate the quality of 16 “guiding principles” (e.g., “I never lose. I either win or learn”) randomly assigned to “authors” of either high or low status. We will then use hierarchical regression to determine if, after controlling for SDO, DTP accounts for unique variance in support for economic conservatism (measured both through self-report and with an established measure). We will similarly examine the unique predictive ability of two explicit scaled measures related to DTP, namely wealth as a moral virtue and deference to wealth.