Testing the spread of status value theory

How can a nominal descriptive term acquire status beliefs and definitions giving it connotations of differential social worth and competence? Cecilia L. Ridgeway and her associates have developed one theory explaining such effects. Recently Joseph Berger and Hamit Fişek offered a new theory using different mechanisms. We report the first experimental tests of the new theory. One mechanism describes spread of status value through referent individuals who possess both nominal and status characteristics. A second mechanism predicts spread of status value directly from status elements including education and income, without intervening referent actors. Results show that both mechanisms can create positive and negative status value for a nominal characteristic as predicted.