Effects of Mundane Status on Cooperation, Competition and Communication Patterns Between Members of Dissimilar Statuses

Abstract

Cooperation and competition, in some form, pervade most aspects of mankind's life. This study was done in an attempt to measure behaviorally and verbally, human reaction to others in a potentially competitive situation. Since the present study is concerned with the mundane realism of the experimental situation, a point that seems to have been overlooked in most studies relating competition to status, there was very little guidance outside that provided by my adviser, Dr. Bob Helm. Since the present study was an early attempt in obtaining high degrees of realism, several aspects of it are purely investigatory. In particular, studies which compare message usage with behavioral correlates of competition and cooperation are in the pioneering stages of inquiry. In this aspect the present study represents pilot work. Perhaps one of the more difficult aspects of this study was obtaining the participation of high status members. My special thanks to members of the Third ROTC region without whose help this study would have been impossible.