Recent social psychological investigations on the social hierarchy have largely occurred without clear delineations in the language used to reference the different strata in the hierarchy (e.g., upper‐class vs. rich vs. high socioeconomic status [SES]). Both within and between research reports, labels can be used inconsistently. We report four studies comparing social hierarchy category labels (SHCLs) on empirically relevant dimensions. Study 1 examined the subjective SES associated with different SHCLs and found that, despite considerable similarity in terms at both the lower and upper ends of the hierarchy, substantive differences occurred. Study 2 examined perceptions of group entitativity and found that pairs of SHCLs (e.g., Rich/Poor vs. Upper‐/Lower‐Class) differ in judgment‐relevant properties. Study 3 compared four types of SHCLs on dimensions of power, status, and resources. Finally, Study 4 provided an experimental demonstration of the impact of interchanging SHCLs. Implications of the findings and recommendations for ongoing empirical efforts are discussed.

中文翻译：

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代表社会等级和社会结构的方法：方法论探索与建议

最近对社会等级制进行的社会心理学调查在很大程度上没有明确描述等级制中不同阶层所用的语言（例如，上层阶级，富裕阶级与高社会经济地位[SES]）。在研究报告之内和之间，标签使用可能不一致。我们报告了四项研究，在经验相关维度上比较了社会等级类别标签（SHCL）。研究1检验了与不同SHCL相关的主观SES，发现尽管层次结构的下端和上端在术语上有相当的相似性，但还是发生了实质性差异。研究2检验了对群体吸引力的看法，发现成对的SHCL（例如，富人/穷人与上层/下层阶级）在判断相关属性上有所不同。研究3比较了四种类型的SHCL，包括权力，状态和资源。最后，研究4提供了交换SHCL的影响的实验演示。讨论结果和建议对正在进行的实证工作的影响。