The Accentuation Bias: Money Literally Looms Larger (and Sometimes Smaller) to the Powerless

David Dubois, Derek D. Rucker and Adam D. Galinsky
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David Dubois: Kellogg [Northwestern] - Kellogg School of Management [Northwestern University, Evanston] - Northwestern University [Evanston]
Derek D. Rucker: Kellogg [Northwestern] - Kellogg School of Management [Northwestern University, Evanston] - Northwestern University [Evanston]
Adam D. Galinsky: Kellogg [Northwestern] - Kellogg School of Management [Northwestern University, Evanston] - Northwestern University [Evanston]

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Abstract: The present research explores how people's place in a power hierarchy alters their representations of valued objects. The authors hypothesized that powerlessness produces an accentuation bias by altering the physical representation of monetary objects in a manner consistent with the size-to-value relationship. In the first three experiments, powerless participants, induced through episodic priming or role manipulations, systematically overestimated the size of objects associated with monetary value (i.e., quarters, poker chips) compared to powerful and baseline participants. However, when value was inversely associated with size (i.e., smaller objects were more valuable), the powerless drew these valued objects smaller, not larger. In addition, the accentuation bias by the powerless was more pronounced when the monetary value associated with the object was greater, increased when the object was physically present, and was mediated by differences in subjective value. These findings suggest that powerlessness fosters compensatory processes that guide representations of valued objects.

Keywords: accentuation bias; money; powerless (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-04-26
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2010, 4, pp.199-205. ⟨10.1177/1948550610365170⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00621067

DOI: 10.1177/1948550610365170

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