status generalization

the tendency for individuals who are known to have achieved or been ascribed authority, respect, and prestige in one context to enjoy relatively higher status in other unrelated contexts. Well-known athletes or wealthy individuals, for example, may rise rapidly to positions of authority in groups even when these diffuse-status characteristics (athleticism, wealth) are not relevant in the current group context. See also expectation-states theory.

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Psychology term of the day

November 27th 2024

weight regulation

a process, governed by a complex array of neural mechanisms and structures (including the hypothalamus), in which the brain seeks an optimum balance between an organism’s food intake and energy expenditure after a certain body weight is achieved. A number of other factors, such as environmental stimuli, may influence the process as well.