Language Found to Reveal Hierarchies
January 5, 2012
Isn’t it great when technology is used to pursue answers to the burning questions of our day? MIT’s Technology Review announces, “Computer Scientists Create Algorithm That Measures Human Pecking Order.” Cornell University’s John Kleinberg, known for his work on the HITS Web page ranking algorithm, and associates have discovered that language usage can reveal power differences between humans. The article states:
They say the style of language during a conversation reveals the pecking order of the people talking. ’We show that in group discussions, power differentials between participants are subtly revealed by how much one individual immediately echoes the linguistic style of the person they are responding to,’” say Kleinberg and co.
Particularly, the researchers look at functional words like articles and conjunctions. It seems that, while top dogs feel no compunction to copy the speech or writing of others, those lower on the totem pole do. Unconsciously, of course.
Though these findings may seem like a simple curiosity, the article points out potential real world ramifications. Companies might analyze email exchanges to determine the leaders among their employees. Also, if done in real time, the technique could influence key conversations like negotiations and interviews.
Perhaps we have another way to explore privacy and manipulate?
Cynthia Murrell, January 5, 2012
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