Prelims

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ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES

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ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES

Series Coeditors: Edward J. Lawler and Shane R. Thye

Recent Volumes:

Editorial Advisory Board

• Stephan Bernard

  Indiana University, USA

• Jessica Collett

  University of Notre Dame, USA

• Karen Hegtvedt

  Emory University, USA

• Michael Hogg

  Claremont Graduate University, USA

• Will Kalkhoff

  Kent State University, USA

• David Melamed

  University of South Carolina, USA

• Jane Sell

  Texas A&M University, USA

Title Page

ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES VOLUME 35

ADVANCES IN GROUP PROCESSES

EDITED BY

SHANE R. THYE

University of South Carolina, USA

EDWARD J. LAWLER

Cornell University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2018

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78769-014-1 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78769-013-4 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78769-015-8 (EPub)

ISSN: 0882-6145

List of Contributors

Preface

Advances in Group Processes is a peer-reviewed annual volume that publishes theoretical analyses, reviews, and theory-based empirical chapters on group phenomena. The series adopts a broad conception of “group processes.” This includes work on groups ranging from the very small to the very large, and on classic and contemporary topics, such as status, power, trust, justice, conflict, social influence, identity, decision-making, intergroup relations, and social networks. Previous contributors have included scholars from diverse fields, including sociology, psychology, political science, economics, business, philosophy, computer science, mathematics, and organizational behavior.

Several years ago, we added an editorial board to the series to broaden the review process and draw upon the expertise of some of the top scholars in the discipline. That board consists of Steve Benard, Jessica Collett, Karen Hegtvedt, Michael Hogg, Will Kalkhoff, David Melamed, and Jane Sell. This group of scholars has made the series better, and we are grateful for their service, guidance, and advice.

The volume opens with a paper that addresses a topic probably somewhat novel for the readers of Advances. “Can a Girl’s Best Friend Be Born in a Lab?” The Role of Ritual in Production Process Conservatism” by Jaekyung Ha, Renée Gosline, and Ezra Zuckerman Sivan aims to understand why consumers often prefer goods that are manufactured in a traditional manner rather than those created using new technologies and practices, even when the latter are of higher quality. This question is posed in the context of a widespread preference for traditionally mined diamonds (as engagement or wedding rings) over diamonds created in a laboratory. This preference is termed “production process conservatism” and is examined using two experiments involving online and student MBA samples. The results indicate that women do prefer traditionally mined diamonds and that this process is mediated by the perceived risk associated with the ritualism of the event. This chapter yields provocative insights into fundamental sociological processes as they relate to macro-consumer behavior.

The next two chapters address issues within the realm of measurement. First, Christin L. Munsch and Elizabeth S. Zack present “Accelerometers as a Methodological Tool in Group Processes.” They review the literature in a variety of disciplines that use accelerometers – a device used to measure force due to gravity or a change in speed or direction. They present data from four unique experiments that address the reliability, validity, and sociological relevance of accelerometers for use in the study of aggression. They convincingly demonstrate the utility of these tools for sociological research and social sciences more generally. The next chapter “Modeling Small Group Status and Power Dynamics Using Vocal Accommodation” by Joseph Dippong and Will Kalkhoff offers insights into the development of status and dominance hierarchies. They first review the literature that links patterns of vocal accommodation in the paraverbal range of the voice to the emergence of status and dominance hierarchies in small groups. This measure of voice variability is discussed in the context of two theoretical traditions: the communication accommodation theory and the expectation states research program. They find that vocal accommodation is consistently linked to viewer perceptions of dominance, but not perceptions of prestige. This chapter will certainly interest scholars interested in communication theory, small group structures, social influence, and debate strategy.

The next three papers address theoretical and empirical issues regarding status and identity. The first paper “Identity Theory Paradigm Integration: Assessing the Role of Prominence and Salience in the Verification and Self-esteem Relationship” by Kelly L. Markowski and Richard T. Serpe integrates the structural and perceptual control programs of the structural identity theory. Examining data on the parent spouse identities, they test the direct impacts of salience, prominence, and nonverification on the authenticity, efficacy, and worth as indicators of self-esteem. They find significant interactions among the three independent variables as they impact authenticity, efficacy, and worth. Overall, this paper represents an important integration of two important research programs in the identity domain and suggests key directions for future research. Next, Amy Kroska and Marshall R. Schmidt examine the antecedents of criminal sentencing recommendations in “Occupational Status, Impression Formation, and Criminal Sanctioning: A Vignette Experiment.” Specifically, they examine the effects of an offender’s occupational status (white- vs blue- or pink-collar) and crime label (overcharging vs robbery) on recommended criminal sentences. Using predictions from the affect control theory, they find that white-collar offenders and those who commit robbery receive higher recommended sentences, and that these effects are mediated by perceptions of crime seriousness. In the final paper of the trio, Deena A. Isom Scott examines reverse discrimination in “Understanding White Americans’ Perceptions of ‘Reverse’ Discrimination: An Application of a New Theory of Status Dissonance.” Using the Pew Research Center’s Racial Attitudes in America Survey III, she develops and tests a theory that addresses why it is that some White Americans perceive an anti-White racial bias and reverse discrimination. The theoretical and empirical analysis yields provocative insights into the causes and consequences of perceived social inequality.

The final two papers address issues of influence and cooperation in groups. A relatively unexplored phenomenon is examined in “When Do We Feel Responsible for Other People’s Behavior and Attitudes?” by Vanessa K. Bohns, Daniel A. Newark and Erica Boothby. For many years, sociologists and psychologists have explored how the social environment produces social influence processes such as conformity, persuasion, and obedience. However, the focus of this past research has been primarily on the target of social influence or characteristics of the influencer. This paper asks a new question – how accurately do people assess their own influence over another person’s attitudes and behaviors. In this sense, the paper addresses an important yet unexplored facet of social influence. The final paper explores whether or not rules for expectation formation directly improve coordination. In “Expectations and Coordination in Small Groups,” Antonio D. Sirianni uses agent-based simulations to examine how empirically observed expectation-generating rules produce group coordination. The results indicate that expectations about one another often produce suboptimal levels of coordination. Theoretically, the paper adopts a game theoretic notion of interaction to the e-state structuralism model of hierarchy formation. This paper should be of particular interest to scholars focused on coordination or cooperation, status structures, game theory, or behavioral economics.

Shane Thye

Edward J. Lawler

Series and Volume Coeditors