title: Social status modulates prosocial behavior and egalitarianism in preschool children and adults.
abstract: Humans are a cooperative species, capable of altruism and the creation of shared norms that ensure fairness in society. However, individuals with different educational, cultural, economic, or ethnic backgrounds differ in their levels of social investment and endorsement of egalitarian values. We present four experiments showing that subtle cues to social status (i.e., prestige and reputation in the eyes of others) modulate prosocial orientation. The experiments found that individuals who experienced low status showed more communal and prosocial behavior, and endorsed more egalitarian life goals and values compared with those who experienced high status. Behavioral differences across high- and low-status positions appeared early in human ontogeny (4-5 y of age).
authors.affiliation: Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H OAP, United Kingdom; and a.guinote@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guinote
authors.affiliation: Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H OAP, United Kingdom; and.
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cotzia
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sanpreet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sandhu
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Pramila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siwa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D012919:Social Behavior; D012923:Social Class
keywords: altruism; prosocial behavior; social hierarchies; social status