Status and Influence in Small Group Interactions

Previous research has been quite consistent in demonstrating a status generalization phenomenon in task-oriented small group interactions. Prior status differences between individuals in such groups appear to lead to patterns of influence which are highly correlated with the initial status differentiation, even though such differentiation has no obvious or direct bearing on the task confronting the group. An experiment was conducted to examine this phenomenon under more highly controlled conditions than those heretofore employed, and with explicit manipulation of the status differentiation variable. Results indicate that in two-person groups dealing with an ambiguous task, information regarding initial status differences leads to striking differences in the influence pattern which emerges between the two actors. Possible extensions of the research are discussed.