This is an experimental study of second-order expectations in social interaction. Second-order expectations are the beliefs an individual holds regarding the expectations others have for the individual in the interaction (e.g., expectations regarding the individual's competence at a task). Often, individuals realize that others' expectations for them are not consistent with what the individuals expect of themselves. That is, expectations held by a person and others in a social setting often conflict. For instance, an individual may view herself/himself as a very competent student, but may discover that another person views her/him as not very competent. The focus of this project is on (1) how individuals resolve conflict between their own expectations and those they believe others hold for them, and (2) what the consequences of the resolution are for subsequent interaction. The research draws heavily on expectation states research, which indicates that individuals may adjust their own expectations to correspond to those they believe others hold for them. Two experiments explore how such a resolution might affect subsequent interaction. The first experiment examines whether effects resulting from interaction under conflicting expectations transfer to situations in which the person is engaged in a different type of task than a prior one (in which there were conflicting expectations). The second experiment explores whether effects from interaction under conflicting expectations transfer to situations in which the person is interacting with another person (i.e., a different person than the person with whom one's expectations initially conflicted). This project tests hypotheses derived from an existing program of research and theorizing on status generalization processes. It will offer new insight on how expectations regarding one's competence are affected by conflicting social expectations. Competence expectations, in turn, may have a powerful effect on a person's assertiveness and particip ation in problem solving groups.
