Psychology 4690F-001
Special Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology: The Psychology of Status and Power
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course offers an overview of research on the nature of social hierarchy within organizations from a
psychological perspective. In this course, we will review and discuss contemporary theory on the
emergence, maintenance, and implications of social hierarchy. We will cover a range of topics, including
the bases of social hierarchy (i.e., power and status), why and how people compete for status and power,
and the consequences of social rank in organizations. We will address these topics at multiple levels of
analysis to understand the personal, interpersonal, and group implications of social hierarchy.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E, or both of Psychology 2800E and 2810, plus registration in third
or fourth year Honors Specialization in Psychology or Honors Specialization in Developmental
Cognitive Neuroscience. Other Psychology students and Psychology Special Students who
receive 75% in the prerequisite courses may enrol in this course.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Alex Benson
Office and Phone Number: SSC 8408
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00pm-3:00 (or by appointment)
Email: abenson3@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thursday, 1:30pm-4:30pm, SH 3355
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is no textbook for this class. Instead, a list of required readings will be available through OWL. Each
reading will be available through the library either as a physical copy or digitally accessible through OWL.
Weekly assigned readings, specified below, are to be completed before each class meeting.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This seminar course on social hierarchy within organizations will cover a range of topics, including thebases of social hierarchy, why and how people compete for status and power, the dynamic nature of
power and status within groups, and the consequences of social rank in organizations. We will address
these topics at multiple levels of analysis to understand the personal, interpersonal, and group
implications of social hierarchy. Students will also learn about the methods used to study social hierarchy
within group contexts and the challenges of research in this area. Students will learn contemporary theory,
concepts, and methods relevant to the nature and consequences of social hierarchy in organizations. This
course is organized around content-focused lectures, weekly assigned readings, in-class activities, and
student-driven discussions. Students will also prepare and deliver a research presentation for their final
paper.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcome Learning Activities Assessment Information
Depth and Breadth of
Knowledge
Evaluate and describe
contemporary theory, and
methods relevant to the
emergence, maintenance, and
implications of social hierarchy in
organizations
Weekly reading
Reflection questions
Class discussion
Research proposal
In-class examination
Reflection questions
Class participation
grades
Research proposal
Knowledge of Methodologies
Critically evaluate the
appropriateness of different
approaches to studying social
hierarchy within organizations
Weekly reading
Reflection questions
Class discussion
In-class examination
Reflection questions
Class participation
grades
Seminar presentation
Research proposal
Application of Knowledge
Apply concepts and theories to
novel examples of behaviours
and situations
Class discussion
Reflection questions
Research proposal
In-class examination
Research proposal
Class participation
grades
Seminar presentation
Communication Skills
Conceptualize and summarize
findings from the scholarly
literature and communicate
these orally and in writing.
Research proposal
Class discussion
Seminar presentation
Reflection questions
Class participation
grades
Seminar presentation
Research proposal
5.0 EVALUATION
Class participation (20%) - This is a seminar style course that relies on students to actively participate in
class discussions. To facilitate these discussions, students are expected to come to class prepared with
comments and questions about the readings that caught their interest and be prepared to respond to other
students’ comments and questions. Student participation should reflect deep and critical engagement with
the weekly readings. Class participation will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of contributions to the
discussions.
Weekly submitted reflection questions (10%) - Every week, students will be asked to submit one
discussion question to the discussion board located under “Forum” on OWL by Tuesday before 10pm.
All students in the class will have access to the weekly submitted discussion questions. In addition, all
students are responsible for reviewing the questions posted to OWL prior to Thursday’s class to ensure
that there is a collective understanding of the viewpoints and questions elicited by the reading. Excellent
questions will demonstrate critical thought in relation to the assigned reading and should serve to
stimulate a thoughtful and productive exchange of ideas.
In-class examination (30%) - A cumulative in-class examination will take place on October 31st. The
examination will be 2 hours in length and will consist of short-answer questions.
Research proposal (30% written component + 10% verbal component) - Students will have the
opportunity to apply the course materials by formulating a research question and proposing a study to
answer it. The final paper should [1] provide a brief literature review, [2] outline a hypothesis (or
hypotheses) you are interested in testing, [3] specify a method for examining the proposed question, [4]
describe your expected results, and [5] discuss implications and plausible alternative accounts of what the
research may yield. The final paper must be at least 2500 words, not including references (doublespaced, formatted with 12-point Times New Roman; 1 inch margins on all sides; written in accordance
with APA guidelines) and is due on Dec. 5th, 2019, before midnight. There will be a 10% per day penalty
for late submission of research proposal papers. As a general guide, the literature review and the
description of the hypothesis/hypotheses should be 4-6 pages in length, the method should be 1-3 pages
in length, the expected results should be 1-3 pages in length, and the implications/alternative accounts
should be 2-4 pages.
During the classes of November 14th, November 21st, November 28th, you will also present your
proposal to the class and receive comments that may help you with the final version of your proposal.
Your presentation is expected to be 15 minutes long and should provide the class with a detailed
understanding of your proposed study. There will be 5-10 minutes allotted for discussion following each
presentation.
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay
component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least
50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work
accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for
withdrawal from a course without academic penalty
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
In-class Examination, Oct. 31
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Week Dates Topic & Required Reading
1 Sept. 5 Introduction, overview, and scheduling or presentations (no assigned readings)
2. Sep. 12 The nature of social hierarchy
Weekly reading(s):
Magee, J. C., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Social Hierarchy: The self‐reinforcing nature of power and status.
Academy of Management Annals, 2, 351-398. doi: 10.5465/19416520802211628
3. Sep. 19 The psychological implications of social rank
Weekly reading(s):
Anderson, C., Hildreth, J. A. D., & Howland, L. (2015). Is the desire for status a fundamental human
motive? A review of the empirical literature. Psychological Bulletin, 141(3), 574.
4. Sep. 26 How do humans signal status and dominance?
Weekly reading(s):
Cheng, J. T., Tracy, J. L., Foulsham, T., Kingstone, A., & Henrich, J. (2013). Two ways to the top:
Evidence that dominance and prestige are distinct yet viable avenues to social rank and influence. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 103-125. doi: 10.1037/a0030398
5. Oct. 3 Who rises to the top?
Weekly reading(s):
Grosz, M. P., Leckelt, M., & Back, M. D. (2019). Personality predictors of social status attainment. Current
Opinion in Psychology, 32, 52-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.07.023
6. Oct. 10 Interpersonal consequences of social rankWeekly reading(s):
Kilduff, G. J., Willer, R., & Anderson, C. (2016). Hierarchy and its discontents: Status disagreement leads
to withdrawal of contribution and lower group performance. Organization Science, 27, 373-390. doi:
10.1287/orsc.2016.1058
7. Oct. 17 How hierarchy relates to team effectiveness
Weekly reading(s):
Greer, L. L., de Jong, B. A., Schouten, M. E., & Dannals, J. E. (2018). Why and when hierarchy impacts
team effectiveness: A meta-analytic integration. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(6), 591-613.
8. Oct. 24 The distinct effects of status and power/Class review
Weekly reading(s):
Anicich, E. M., Fast, N. J., Halevy, N., & Galinsky, A. D. (2015). When the bases of social hierarchy
collide: Power without status drives interpersonal conflict. Organization Science, 27, 123-140. doi:
10.1287/orsc.2015.1019
9. Oct 31 In-class examination
10. Nov. 7 Reading Week (No Class)
11. Nov. 14 Student presentations (no assigned readings)
12. Nov. 21 Student presentations (no assigned readings)
13. Nov. 28 Student presentations (no assigned readings)
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2019-2020 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
