Status Characteristics Theory: An Application to Clothing Research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two variables on performance: a status characteristic (fashionability) and an opportunity to demonstrate competence. Sixty-two undergraduate female volunteers participated in the study. Fifty percent of the subjects, after being labeled either fashionable or unfashionable, were given an opportunity to demonstrate competence by making decisions about appropriate clothing for various situations. The other 50% were given no opportunity to demonstrate competence. Subjects who were given an opportunity to demonstrate competence improved their scores on a posttest twice as much as subjects who were not given an opportunity to demonstrate competence. Subjects who had been negatively labeled "unfashionable" and who were then given an opportunity to demonstrate competence improved their scores almost three times as much as subjects who had been negatively labeled "unfashionable" and who were not given an opportunity to demonstrate competence. Results suggest that persons in a lower status position relative to others can benefit from being given an opportunity to disprove that lower status label.