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Metzler H, Vilarem E, Petschen A, Grèzes J. Power pose effects on approach and avoidance decisions in response to social threat. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286904. [PMID: 37594940 PMCID: PMC10437884 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals' opportunities for action in threatening social contexts largely depend on their social power. While powerful individuals can afford to confront aggressors and dangers, powerless individuals need others' support and better avoid direct challenges. Here, we investigated if adopting expansive or contracted poses, which signal dominance and submission, impacts individuals' approach and avoidance decisions in response to social threat signals using a within-subject design. Overall, participants more often chose to avoid rather than to approach angry individuals, but showed no clear approach or avoidance preference for fearful individuals. Crucially, contracted poses considerably increased the tendency to avoid angry individuals, whereas expansive poses induced no substantial changes. This suggests that adopting power-related poses may impact action decisions in response to social threat signals. The present results emphasize the social function of power poses, but should be replicated before drawing strong conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Metzler
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, (LNC2), INSERM Unit 960, Department of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, Paris, France
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education
| | - Emma Vilarem
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, (LNC2), INSERM Unit 960, Department of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Adrian Petschen
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, (LNC2), INSERM Unit 960, Department of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France
- Institut de la Communication et de la Cognition, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Julie Grèzes
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, (LNC2), INSERM Unit 960, Department of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France
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Gervais SJ, Baildon AE, Lorenz TK. On Methods and Marshmallows: A Roadmap for Science That Is Openly Feminist and Radically Open. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/03616843211032632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this commentary, we argue that feminist science and open science can benefit from each other’s wisdom and critiques in service of creating systems that produce the highest quality science with the maximum potential for improving the lives of women. To do this, we offer a constructive analysis, focusing on common methods used in open science, including open materials and data, preregistration, and large sample sizes, and illuminate potential benefits and costs from a feminist science perspective. We also offer some solutions and deeper questions both for individual researchers and the feminist psychology and open science communities. By broadening our focus from a myopic prioritization of certain methodological and analytic approaches in open science, we hope to give a balanced perspective of science that emerges from each movement’s strengths and is openly feminist and radically open.
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Körner R, Schütz A. Dominance or prestige: A review of the effects of power poses and other body postures. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Körner
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Bamberg Bamberg Germany
| | - Astrid Schütz
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Bamberg Bamberg Germany
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Elkjær E, Mikkelsen MB, Michalak J, Mennin DS, O'Toole MS. Expansive and Contractive Postures and Movement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Motor Displays on Affective and Behavioral Responses. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020; 17:276-304. [PMID: 32569503 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620919358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This review and meta-analysis explores the experimental effects of expansive and contractive motor displays on affective, hormonal, and behavioral responses. Experimental studies were located through systematic literature searches. Studies had to manipulate motor displays to either expansive or contractive displays and investigate the effect of the displays on affect, hormones, or overt behavior. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine the pooled, standardized mean differences between the effects of motor displays on affective, hormonal, and behavioral responses. From 5,819 unique records, 73 relevant studies were identified. Robust differences between expansive and contractive displays emerged for affective responses and overt behavioral responses across contexts, type of manipulation, and methods of measurement. The results suggest that the effects are driven by the absence of contractive motor displays (contractive vs. neutral displays: Hedges's g = 0.45) rather than the presence of expansive displays (expansive vs. neutral displays: g = 0.06). The findings stand as a corrective to previous research, as they indicate that it is the absence of contractive displays rather than the presence of expansive displays that alters affective and behavioral responding. Future research should include neutral control groups, use different methods to assess hormonal change, and investigate these effects in the context of ideographic goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Elkjær
- Department for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University
| | - Mai B Mikkelsen
- Department for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University
| | - Johannes Michalak
- Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Witten/Herdecke University
| | | | - Mia S O'Toole
- Department for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University
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Winn L, Cornelius R. Self-Objectification and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Front Psychol 2020; 11:20. [PMID: 32047457 PMCID: PMC6997128 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectification theorists posit that exposure to sexually objectifying behavior, images, etc., leads women in particular to adopt an objectifying self-perspective. State self-objectification (SSO) (i.e., the internalization of the objectifying gaze) is theorized to usurp individuals' cognitive resources by diverting attention to their bodies. The objective of this paper is to systematically review the literature surrounding self-objectification and cognitive performance. Six databases retrieved 1,779 relevant articles. Studies were deemed eligible for inclusion if they (a) quantitatively investigated the relationship between SSO and cognitive performance using valid and reliable measures, (b) were published in a peer-reviewed journal between 1997 and 2019, inclusive, and (c) were available in English. Nine studies fulfilled all inclusion criteria. As the heterogeneity of the literature precluded meta-analysis, narrative synthesis was employed to review the results. While the quality of the studies was mixed, the results of our review support the contention that self-objectification impairs cognitive functioning. Appearance monitoring, actual-ideal self-discrepancies, negative self-conscious emotions, gender schema activation, and stereotype activation are evaluated as potential mechanisms behind the relationship between state self-objectification and cognitive performance, while chronic (trait) self-objectification is evaluated as a potential moderator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Winn
- Psychology, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, United States
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Gervais SJ, Sáez G, Riemer AR, Klein O. The Social Interaction Model of Objectification: A process model of goal-based objectifying exchanges between men and women. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 59:248-283. [PMID: 31448823 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
People perceive and treat women as sex objects in social exchanges. The interaction processes through which women are objectified, however, have rarely been considered. To address this gap in the literature, we propose the Social Interaction Model of Objectification (SIMO). Rooted in social exchange and objectification theories, the SIMO predicts objectifying behaviours stemming from sexual goals between men and women. We propose that the behavioural dynamics of objectification can be understood through a series of goal-based exchange processes that are shaped by patriarchy. Articulating the SIMO and its predictions for behaviour in social interactions, we describe the scant social psychological studies in this area. Not only is the SIMO useful for understanding objectifying interaction processes, but it can be used to understand why women sometimes evaluate objectification positively as well as instances of sexual violence. Finally, we discuss critical directions for future research and provide promising methodological approaches for testing the SIMO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Gervais
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Gemma Sáez
- Departamento de Psicología, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Abigail R Riemer
- Department of Life Sciences, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Olivier Klein
- Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
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Kahalon R, Shnabel N, Becker JC. Experimental Studies on State Self-Objectification: A Review and an Integrative Process Model. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1268. [PMID: 30150946 PMCID: PMC6099106 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper provides an organizing framework for the experimental research on the effects of state self-objectification on women. We explain why this body of work, which had grown rapidly in the last 20 years, departs from the original formulation of objectification theory (Fredrickson and Roberts, 1997). We compare the different operationalizations of state self-objectification and examine how they map onto its theoretical definition, concluding that the operationalizations have focused mostly on one component of this construct (concerns about one's physical appearance) while neglecting others (adopting a third-person perspective and treating oneself as a dehumanized object). We review the main findings of studies that experimentally induced state self-objectification and examined its affective, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, and physiological outcomes. We note that three core outcomes of this state as specified by objectification theory (safety anxiety, reduced flow experiences, and awareness of internal body states) have hardly been examined so far. Most importantly, we introduce an integrative process model, suggesting that the reported effects are triggered by four different mechanisms: appearance monitoring, experience of discrepancy from appearance standards, stereotype threat, and activation of the "sex object" schema. We propose strategies for distinguishing between these mechanisms and explain the theoretical and practical importance of doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rotem Kahalon
- Tel-Aviv University, The School of Psychological Science, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Nurit Shnabel
- Tel-Aviv University, The School of Psychological Science, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Julia C. Becker
- School of Human Science, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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