Expansive versus contractive relational scope

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Other people with whom we interact can be distanced from us socially, geographically, or temporally. Individuals can cross this distance in a minimal way, confining their social relationships to those individuals who are psychologically close to them, or they may expand their horizons to include a more diverse and psychologically distant set of individuals. Relational scope refers to the extent to which one's social relationships extend to people who are distant from oneself. This research explores how people transcend the distance that separates them from others. The researchers examine the psychological processes that prompt expansive relational scope and contractive relational scope, arguing that greater degrees of abstraction allow more expansive relational scope. They predict that communication intended for a distant (vs. proximal) recipient will focus to a greater extent on core aspects, will use a more abstract medium, and will be less grounded in physical gestures. Moreover, when communications are more abstract along these dimensions, senders should be more expansive and communicate with more distant recipients. The present research on relational scope promises to shed light on when we will expand or contract the scope of our relations, limiting our interactions to those that are proximal to us or expanding our relationships to include those that are more distant. Furthermore, by highlighting the way that mental construal processes are used to traverse psychological distance, this research emphasizes the dramatic way that the distance of others shapes our interaction with them. In so doing, it ultimately offers suggestions for facilitating effective communication and learning among the increasingly diverse groups of individuals. The proposal addresses training and development of graduate students and undergraduate students. The research findings would be disseminated through research conferences and traditional publications (empirical journal articles). Undergraduates in the business program at USC would also be incorporated into the research, which could extend basic psychological to students who would not normally be involved in it.