Compensatory conspicuous communication: Low status increases jargon use; experiments provided a causal link from low status to jargon use

Compensatory conspicuous communication: Low status increases jargon use. Zachariah C. Brown, Eric M. Anicich, Adam D. Galinsky. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Volume 161, November 2020, Pages 274-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.07.001

Highlights

• Experiencing low status increases the use of jargon.

• Low status increases jargon use because it activates evaluative concerns.

• Archival analyses found a low status → jargon effect across 64 k dissertation titles.

• Experiments provided a causal link and mediation path from low status to jargon use.

• The use of acronyms also serves a status compensation function.

Abstract: Jargon is commonly used to efficiently communicate and signal group membership. We propose that jargon use also serves a status compensation function. We first define jargon and distinguish it from slang and technical language. Nine studies, including experiments and archival data analyses, test whether low status increases jargon use. Analyses of 64,000 dissertations found that titles produced by authors from lower-status schools included more jargon than titles from higher-status school authors. Experimental manipulations established that low status causally increases jargon use, even in live conversations. Statistical mediation and experimental-causal-chain analyses demonstrated that the low status → jargon effect is driven by increased concern with audience evaluations over conversational clarity. Additional archival and experimental evidence found that acronyms and legalese serve a similar status-compensation function as other forms of jargon (e.g., complex language). These findings establish a new driver of jargon use and demonstrate that communication, like consumption, can be both compensatory and conspicuous.