Face recall: An examination of some factors limiting composite production accuracy.

Contemporary face composite systems require scrutiny of many alternative features during the construction phase and judgments of similarity based on viewing features divorced from a facial context. The present study assessed the role of these factors in limiting composite production accuracy. In Exp I, 60 students observed a target face and made similarity judgments on sample eyes or mouths drawn from a Photo-fit Kit before attempting to identify the same features of the target. Exp II with 60 Ss was a replication, except that the interpolated judgments were made on the features in the context of a complete Photo-fit face resembling the target. In neither experiment did the Photo-fit components significantly interfere with recognition of the corresponding features of the target. In Exp III, the similarity ratings from memory provided by Ss in the previous experiments were compared with parallel sets of ratings furnished by 30 Ss in the presence of the target. Mean judgments of similarity made from memory on isolated features were discrepant from all other ratings. Results are interpreted as suggesting that whereas interference is not a major problem, judging resemblance from features seen in isolation may be a serious source of distortion in composite production. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inferring interpersonal traits from behavior: Act prototypicality versus conceptual similarity of trait concepts.

Investigates 2 models of the cognitive process underlying trait ratings; the trait-to-trait process states that trait inferences are guided by the conceptual similarity among traits. Ss were presented with 6 fictitious persons. Each was described by acts referring to 1 of 6 traits. Ss rated the targets on interpersonal trait terms. If trait ratings are gathered immediately after the presentation of behavioral information about a single target (Study 1), these ratings correspond closely to the prototypicality ratings of the acts on the trait concepts (behavior-to-trait process). However, if Ss have to keep the behavioral information about several targets in memory (Study 2), the trait ratings are guided by the conceptual relations among the concepts under study (trait-to-trait process). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational and retrieval processes in person memory: An examination of processing objectives, presentation format, and the possible role of self-generated retrieval cues.

Examined memory for behavioral information under conditions in which the number of target persons and the number of behaviors pertaining to each target person were simultaneously varied. 256 undergraduates recalled more of the behavioral information when given a general impression set than when given a memory set, when the information was presented blocked by person than when it was presented randomly, and when they were tested immediately rather than after a delay. Impression-set Ss recalled more behaviors per person than memory-set Ss when the information was presented in a blocked format. However, they recalled more individual target persons and more behaviors per person when the information was presented in a random format. Results suggest that the specific nature of processing objectives and the constraints imposed by presentation format need to be considered carefully in developing future theoretical models of person memory. The role of self-generated retrieval cues and the possibility that there are 2 conceptually distinct types of retrieval are discussed. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generality of the effects of practice on social judgment tasks.

Many types of social and nonsocial cognitive processes can be performed faster after they have been practiced. Two experiments examine some properties of this speedup, particularly its pattern of generality, to give indications as to its underlying theoretical basis. For example, consider a person who practices judging whether a number of behaviors imply a particular target trait. Is the resulting increase in speed specific to the behaviors judged, does it apply to judgments of new behaviors with respect to the same target trait, or is it applicable to all judgments using the same process, even for different target traits? These experiments identify components of speedup that show each of these patterns. The results show that general procedures can be strengthened by practice and contradict the notion that speedup is purely a function of increased accessibility of schemas or other memory structures representing knowledge about the judgment target. The effects of practice need not be content-specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions, false consensus, and valence: Two field studies.

Two studies, with 1,056 Ss, investigated attitudes, knowledge, and behavior with regard to several environmental issues. Findings demonstrate that observers tend to perceive a false consensus with respect to the relative commonness of their own behavioral choices. This phenomenon was replicated across a variety of behaviors. This bias was not related, however, to Ss' trait inferences of the typical person who would choose a particular alternative. Neither estimated commonness of responses nor Ss' own behavioral choice provided an adequate explanation of the obtained differences in attributional inferences. Results show that Ss made more extreme and confident trait ratings about evaluatively positive behavior, irrespective of their own behavioral choice. Ss' trait ratings were in accordance with L. Ross's (1977) proposal, that Ss make more extreme ratings about dissimilar others, only when Ss rated their own behavioral choice relatively unfavorably compared with the behavioral alternative. Implications for previous investigations dealing with the false consensus effect are outlined, and evaluative and motivational mechanisms are proposed for research on social inference and attributional processes. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prior knowledge and memory: The episodic encoding of implicitly activated associates and rhymes.

Explored the effects of study-trial orientation and test delay on the encoding of both rhyme- and meaning-related concepts in 4 experiments involving 184 Ss. Exps I and II showed that meaning-related concepts were encoded and interfered with memory for the presented target regardless of study-trial orientation. Interference was obtained even when the study-trial context emphasized phonemic information and Ss were oriented to rating rhyme properties. This interference effect disappeared when the test trial was delayed. Results from all 4 experiments indicate that rhyme-related concepts were encoded and interfered with memory for the presented target only when Ss attended to the rhyme dimension. This interference effect was found after a long delay. Findings suggest that the encoding of meaning-related concepts results from relatively automatic processes and the encoding of rhyme-related concepts requires Ss to attend to rhyme. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do behavioral observation scales measure observation?

G. Latham and K. Wexley (see record 1980-02200-001) have claimed that behavioral observation scales (BOS) pose a simpler task for the rater than do either behaviorally anchored rating scales or graphic rating scales; with BOS, the rater need only observe and record behavior and need not make complex judgments about performance. Research on person memory suggests that recall for behaviors is structured by the same trait inferences and judgments that BOS are designed to avoid. In 2 experiments, 91 undergraduates rated videotaped lectures; data from the 1st experiment were used to construct BOS measuring clarity and speaking style. In the 2nd experiment, Ss used the BOS and a graphic rating scale to rate videotaped lectures in immediate and delayed rating conditions. As expected, the correlations between BOS ratings and judgmental ratings of performance were stronger when demands were placed on rater's recall. It is suggested that recall of behaviors is determined by the degree to which certain behaviors are representative of general judgments made about Ss being rated, and that BOS measure traitlike judgments rather than behavioral observation. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and the impression-formation continuum: Piecemeal processing despite the availability of category information.

A study explored depressed–nondepressed differences in impression formation. From S. T. Fiske and S. L. Neuberg's (1990) model of impression formation, mildly depressed perceivers were hypothesized to engage in more piecemeal processing when forming an impression of a target other, even when nondepressed perceivers would typically use less effortful, categorical processing. With an idiographic technique designed by M. A. Pavelchak (see record 1989-18928-001), depressed Ss were shown to use trait attributes in evaluating a person, even when induced to categorize the individual. Nondepressed Ss relied on category information when available, replicating Pavelshak's study. Depressed Ss' results are interpreted as arising from a motivation to engage in effortful analysis of social information, stemming from feelings of lack of control over life events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social judgeability: The impact of meta-informational cues on the use of stereotypes.

According to a social judgeability analysis, a crucial determinant of impression formation is the extent to which people feel entitled to judge a target person. Two experiments, with a total of 113 undergraduates, tested the impact of the subjective availability of individuating information on a social judgment independent of its actual presence. In Exp 1, Ss made a stereotypical judgment when they believed individuating information was present even if no information was in fact given. In Exp 2, Ss who thought they received individuating information made more extreme and confident judgments than Ss who thought they received category information. This indicates that Ss' judgments were not simply a function of implicit demand: The illusion of receiving individuating information led Ss to believe they possessed the necessary evidence for legitimate decision making. This result supports the existence of rules in the social inference process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age and forgetfulness: Perceivers' impressions of targets' capability.

In a person perception paradigm, 72 young and 72 old adult Ss listened to tape recordings of a nonforgetful, moderately forgetful, or highly forgetful female target person being interviewed for a volunteer job. Ss then rated their opinion of the target's memory and how likely they would be to assign the target to easy and difficult tasks. Overall, Ss gave higher memory opinion ratings to old than to young targets. As expected, they were more likely to assign tasks to nonforgetful than to forgetful targets. However, they were more egalitarian than was hypothesized in their task assignment ratings for forgetful young vs forgetful old targets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A social relations analysis of agreement in liking judgments.

Using a round-robin design in which every subject served both as judge and target, subjects made liking judgments, trait ratings, and physical attractiveness ratings of each other on each of 4 days. Although there was some agreement in the liking judgments, most of the variance was due to idiosyncratic preferences for different targets. Differences in evaluations were due to at least 2 factors: disagreements in how targets were perceived (is this person honest?) and disagreements in how to weight the trait attributes that predicted liking (is honesty more important than friendliness?) When evaluating the targets in specific roles (as a study partner), judgments showed much greater agreement, as did the weights of the trait attributes. A 2nd study confirmed the differential weighting of trait attributes when rating liking in general and the increased agreement when rating specific roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retrieval selectivity in memory-based impression judgments.

Judgments about others are often based on memory for information about the persons being judged. Three studies with a total of 92 undergraduates are reported that used decision time to determine what information Ss selectively recall when they make memory-based person judgments. Each study employed a sequential judgment paradigm in which an S first made an impression judgment about a person on one dimension while stimulus information was continuously available. Immediately therafter, the S made a 2nd judgment about the same person on a different dimension without the stimulus information being available. It is concluded that Ss' memory-based judgments were based on memory for their 1st impression judgments combined with a selective memory search for negative stimulus information. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)