RAPID: Neuroendocrine and Behavioral Responses to Witnessing a Dominance Contest: Insights from the 2012 Presidential Election

University Of Oregon Eugene, Eugene OR

Investigators

Abstract

Status hierarchies are ubiquitous across human and animal societies, and dominance contests are an important means for determining status in social groups. These contests include physical confrontations - fights, sports matches, and even wars -- as well as non-physical competitions, such as competitive exams, job interviews, and formal presentations. Although previous research has examined face-to-face dominance contests, little is known about the biosocial processes involved in large-scale societal dominance contests such as democratic elections. Given the widespread significance of presidential elections for the actual and perceived status of nearly all society members, it is critical for social psychology researchers to study them to build more comprehensive theories of status hierarchies. Bringing together theories and empirical approaches in behavioral neuroendocrinology and social-personality psychology, the aim of this proposal is to examine voters' neuroendocrine and behavioral dynamics before, during, and after the 2012 US presidential election. The proposed research is focused around three broad empirical questions: (1) what are the psychological factors that explain variation in hormone responses (testosterone and cortisol) among eligible voters, (2) what are the behavioral consequences of these hormone response profiles (e.g., changes in aggressive behavior and prosocial behavior), and (3) what is the temporal trajectory of neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to the election? To address these questions, the proposed study will recruit healthy men and women who are registered to vote and hold views across the political spectrum. On five theoretically-relevant days (two days prior to the election, election day, and two days after the election), participants will provide saliva samples to measure diurnal testosterone and cortisol in order to assess hormone responses to the results of the presidential election. Participants will also wear an iPod Touch with Electronically Activated Software (EAR) to record naturally occurring social interactions and behaviors via short audio clips. Daily diaries and surveys will be collected throughout the study. Participants will be requested to release social media feeds in the weeks surrounding the election. Finally, public voting information will be accessed to confirm whether or not participants voted in the election. This proposal breaks new ground in examining hormone-behavior associations in a real-world dominance contest. While previous work has shown that observer's steroid hormone levels can fluctuate when witnessing a dominance contest, little is known about (a) the behavioral consequences of observers hormone changes and (b) the psychological factors that explain variability in these hormone responses. The proposed work also addresses the onset and trajectories of hormonal and behavioral changes before, during, and after a high-stakes societal dominance contest. This project has implications for theories of individual and group-based dominance hierarchies across multiple fields, including psychology, behavioral neuroendocrinology, neuroscience, political science, sociology, and anthropology. Moreover, this research will serve as a training foundation in social neuroendocrinology research for students from underrepresented groups. Finally, the proposed work has implications for at least two public policy issues. Specifically, the findings are expected to assist in devising new interventions to (1) curb aggression and violence in individual and group-based status hierarchies, and (2) decrease stress and improve health in individuals and groups who perceive themselves as low status. The data and analytical approach may also reveal strategies for increasing enthusiasm and positive affect to improve voter turnout in democratic elections.