People who occupy positions of power are held in higher esteem that they otherwise would be. This elevation in status can be reduced if the social advantages responsible for a given individual's power are known. This doctoral dissertation project is an experimental study that will integrate theoretical concepts from three theories in sociology--exchange, expectation states, and status value--in an effort to explain why power confers status and why it confers more status in some situations than in others. One hundred and fifty participants will take part in an experiment designed to examine the effect of differences in power which produce a difference in rewards in the presence or, alternatively, in the absence of information about the social structural power that produces that difference in rewards. This project will contribute to the fields of sociology and social psychology by increasing our understanding of the connection of power to status. In addition, it will increase our understanding of the motive for restricting information in organizations that in turn could lead to techniques for increasing the flow of information. This project also will provide an excellent opportunity for a promising young scholar to continue to develop independent research skills.
