Effects of Power on Social Perception

Three studies explored the relationship between power and the perception of others in terms of agency and communion. In Study 1, participants taking a manager perspective were more interested in the agency of their future employee than those asked to take a subordinate perspective were in the agency of their future employer. Moreover, they showed more interest in the agency than in the communion of their future employee. Study 2 extended these findings to perceptions of others unrelated to the context of work. In Study 3, participants taking the manager perspective favored agency traits in their employee more than those taking the subordinate perspective favored agency in their employer. This effect was mediated by an increased task orientation among those in positions of greater relative power. Using two manipulations and three dependent measures, power was found to enhance the focus on the agency dimension across the three studies, mediated by increases in orientation to tasks versus relationships.

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