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AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF SOCIAL POWER IN TERMS OF DECISION THEORY 1
Author(s) -
Pollard William E.,
Mitchell Terence R.,
Beach Lee Roy
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
decision sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.238
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1540-5915
pISSN - 0011-7315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5915.1975.tb01058.x
Subject(s) - situational ethics , psychology , power (physics) , social psychology , subjective expected utility , compliance (psychology) , predictive power , action (physics) , computer science , expected utility hypothesis , economics , mathematical economics , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics
The paper presents an extension of decision theory to the analysis of social power. The power of a person, A , over another person, B , is viewed in terms of the effect A has on B 's decision. The analysis is based on the idea that B 's decision regarding the performance of alternative behaviors is a function of 1) B 's utility for the consequences of the behaviors and 2) B 's subjective probabilities that the behaviors will lead to these consequences. In these terms, A 's power over B lies in A 's ability to mediate various consequences for B , contingent upon B 's compliance or noncompliance. Subjects were asked to consider eight situations in which hypothetical individuals had to make a choice between two courses of action. In each situation another person ( A ) was attempting to induce the hypothetical individual ( B ) to choose one of the alternatives, while various situational factors were influencing B to choose the other alternative. The subjects were asked to consider B 's utilities and subjective probabilities in each situation and to indicate whether or not B should comply with A and to make ratings of A 's power. The decision theory analysis did well in predicting whether or not subjects would indicate that B should comply with A. Also, subjects generally were able to correctly specify whether A or the situational factors had more influence over B 's decision. Finally, the subjects' ratings of A 's power in the eight situations were highly related to the decision theoretic measure of power.