Cues of trait dominance elicit inferences of psychological ownership

Psychological ownership refers to the subjective feeling that something is mine. Although research shows that observed behaviours towards a target object can signal psychological ownership to others, we propose that trait cues—specifically, cues of dominance—also inform inferences of psychological ownership. Across four pre-registered studies, we predict and find that another person's trait dominance promotes inferences of psychological ownership for both a tangible (e.g. a restaurant booth) and intangible entity (e.g. a brand). This effect persists across three different trait dominance cues, providing convergent evidence of this relationship. Thus, we extend prior research by showing that cues of a trait that predicts an antecedent to psychological ownership can promote inferences of psychological ownership. Theoretical implications and future research opportunities are also discussed.