Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Dr. Scott Eidelman

Committee Member

Dr. Tamara Roth

Second Committee Member

Dr. Mitch Brown

Third Committee Member

Dr. Spencer Allen

Abstract

People tend to take credit when they feel powerful (Lammers & Burgmer, 2019). However, subjective socioeconomic status (SSES) may shift how individuals perceive who gets credit. To test this idea, I examined whether a memory recall of power or powerlessness changed internal attributions and if this effect is dependent on SSES. After individuals self-reported their SSES, participants were randomly assigned to recall a specific high or low-influence episode in their life. They indicated “who contributed more” and “who had more influence” on the outcome of the situation. Results showed a main effect of power such that recalling high-power situations led to more internal attribution than recalling low-power situations. In primary analyses using a “national ladder” to gauge SSES, there was no significant effect of SSES on attribution, and it did not significantly moderate the effect of power. In exploratory analyses using a “community ladder,” there was a significant interaction in the opposite direction of the hypothesis, such that as SSES increased, attribution in the high-power condition relied less on the self and focused relatively more on others.

Keywords

Power; Socioeconomic Status; Subjective Socioeconomic Status; Attribution; Social Class; Causal Attribution

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