HOW DO STATUS BELIEFS DEVELOP - THE ROLE OF RESOURCES AND INTERACTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Status construction theory argues that interaction between people with unequal structural advantages is crucial in the development and sprea d of status value beliefs about people's distinguishing attributes. A central claim is that goal-oriented encounters between those who diffe r in material resources as well as in an easily observed nominal attri bute create status beliefs about that attribute which favor the ''rich er'' actors' attribute category. We conduct an experimental test using dyadic, same-sex encounters between participants who differ in pay le vel and a ''mere difference'' attribute; the claim is supported for ma les and females. Status beliefs are distinguished from own-group favor itism by their acceptance by those they disadvantage. A second experim ent and other evidence suggest that the interactional hierarchy associ ated with pay and the distinguishing attribute in such doubly dissimil ar encounters pressures low-pay subjects to accept beliefs that disadv antage them. This acceptance is key to the power of interaction to tra nsform structural advantages into status beliefs.