The generality of accuracy and response sets in interpersonal perception.

In experiment I, 15 measures of Ss' perception of other people were obtained. Only 8 of the intercorrelations were significant. In experiment II, Ss' judgments of other people were obtained in 3 sessions distributed over a school year. Comparison of the 3 sets of judgments indicated low relationship among accuracy scores, high relationship among response-set scores. Assumption of general ability of interpersonal perceptiveness is untenable; reliability of interpersonal perception may be due to consistency in response set rather than in ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cline and Richards' reply to O'Connor's methodological note.

The authors reply to the comment by William F. O'Connor (see record 2006-01824-001). O'Connor (1963) has identified a point which was inadequately discussed in the original paper on accuracy of interpersonal perception (Cline & Richards, 1960) published in this journal (see record 1960-07621-001). Previous investigators had found little or no generality of accuracy of interpersonal perception, and from these earlier results, some had drawn the conclusion that it is impossible to obtain a homogeneous scale of accuracy of interpersonal perception. The authors, however, were convinced that the failure to find a homogeneous scale was a result of the methodology used rather than being inherent in the subject matter. In particular, previous investigators, after obtaining an initial sample of persons to be judged, used this sample without further selection. However, it is well known that even for characteristics where it is well established that it is possible to construct a homogeneous scale (for example, vocabulary knowledge or numerical facility), such a scale cannot be constructed from unselected items. It is necessary to do an item analysis in order to define a homogeneous scale. Since no such item selection was done by previous investigators of accuracy of interpersonal perception, the authors felt it was hardly surprising that no homogeneous scale was obtained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modification of less differentiating cognitive structure as a function of feedback.

Tested the hypothesis that the perceptual judgments and cognitive structure of less differentiating persons could be modified by validation of social perception. Two groups of 12 paid undergraduates each observed 9 films of structured interviews and completed questionnaires that examined various aspects of the interviewee after 1st exposure to each film. One group received structured feedback on their responses after the 1st exposure before seeing the films for a 2nd time. A 2nd group reviewed their responses without the benefit of feedback before proceeding to the 2nd exposure. On an independent measure of accuracy of interpersonal perceptions the structured feedback group obtained significantly higher scores following the experimental procedure. No significant difference was obtained between the groups on a measure of change in differentiation of interpersonal perception, nor did the groups differ significantly from a no-treatment control group. (French summary) (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A research paradigm for the study of interpersonal learning.

A research paradigm is introduced to investigate the process whereby 1 person learns to predict the behavior of another person. The paradigm is derived from Brunswik's probabilistic functionalism and his "lens model" of behavior. Methods of analysis are applied to data provided by an illustrative experiment. Results of the experiment show that interpersonal learning occurs; the results are also shown to have implications for problems inherited from studies of interpersonal perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

e-Perceptions: Personality Impressions Based on Personal Websites.

This research examined the accuracy of personality impressions based on personal websites, a rapidly growing medium for self-expression, where identity claims are predominant. Eighty-nine websites were viewed by 11 observers, who rated the website authors' personalities. The ratings were compared with an accuracy criterion (self- and informant reports) and with the authors' ideal-self ratings. The websites elicited high levels of observer consensus and accuracy, and observers' impressions were somewhat enhanced for Extraversion and Agreeableness. The accuracy correlations were comparable in magnitude to those found in other contexts of interpersonal perception and generally stronger than those found in zero-acquaintance contexts. These findings suggest that identity claims are used to convey valid information about personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing Interpersonal Perceptions Using the Interpersonal Grid.

Three studies were conducted using the interpersonal grid, a method for assessing perceptions of agentic and communal behavior based on the interpersonal circumplex. The 1st examined consistency across perceivers and convergence between perceiver and the perceived person. The 2nd examined whether responses to the interpersonal grid were sensitive to an experimental manipulation of portrayed agency and communion. The 3rd used the interpersonal grid in an event-contingent recording study. The reliability and validity of the measure were supported by findings demonstrating generalizability across perceivers, generalizability across perceptions of events involving the same person, convergence between perceiver and perceived person, and sensitivity to changes in levels of agency and communion. Applications of the interpersonal grid to clinical practice and research are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarianism and interpersonal perception.

This study is a replication of research concerning the relationship between authoritarianism, as measured by the California F scale and accuracy of interpersonal perception. Ss were students at Kansas State College, and the method was similar to that used previously by Scodel and Mussen and by Scodel and Freedman. Pairs of Ss discussed for 20 minutes an assigned topic after taking the F scale. After the discussion they were asked to fill out the F scale as they felt their partners in the discussion would respond to it. The previous findings were duplicated by this study. The mean estimate by high F Ss was very similar to the mean of the high F Ss' own scores, regardless of the partners' actual positions on the F scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, group attraction and self-other agreement in interpersonal circumplex problems and perceptions of group members.

Graduate students (N=76) fulfilling a class requirement for interpersonal group participation completed measures of interpersonal problems and adult attachment at pretest. At the midpoint and at termination they completed measures of interpersonal problems and group attraction and provided interpersonal circumplex ratings of each fellow group member. As predicted, selected attachment insecurities were significantly correlated with interpersonal problems and group attraction. Attachment anxiety and avoidance, also as hypothesized, were associated with discrepancies in self-other perceptions. Whereas members with attachment avoidance tended to overestimate hostile and hostile-submissive problems, members with attachment anxiety were likely to overestimate interpersonal problems in the "friendly" half of the circumplex. Implications for the conceptualization of attachment-based distortions and interpersonal learning in group therapy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participation, information, and control in small groups: An actor-partner interdependence model.

Substantive participation during small group discussion is based on the distribution of information resources within groups. However, those with an information advantage may choose not to contribute to the discussion for a variety of reasons. The authors hypothesized that interpersonal control (defined as the ability, desire, and skill to influence what is talked about and by whom during discussion) moderates the relation between information and participation. One's perceived interpersonal control, however, is relative to that of his or her colleagues; the amount of control one exerts is related to that exerted by others. Participants, in groups of four, collaborated on a psychological profile task. Results indicate a complex relation among information quantity, interpersonal control, and partners' interpersonal control. Discussion addresses participation in competitive and collaborative group contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modification of behavior through verbal conditioning: Effects in group therapy.

An hypothesis that seems to be gaining acceptance on the basis of experimental (as opposed to heretofore face) validity, is that the interpersonal relationship in therapy is not only able to modify the patient's behavior, but in a predictable and desirable direction. This hypothesis was cross-validated by using a group of patients in a Veterans Administration hospital, all in group therapy. The experimental condition, the independent variable, involved exposing S to a TAT-like situation outside of therapy. E responded differentially to the emotionally-toned words used by S: (a) by nodding and saying "mm-hm," (b) by communicating to S via a machine that emitted a clicking sound and added on a counter, and (c) a "no reinforcement" group. Change in the patient's behavior, the dependent variable, was assessed by ratings on a scale to measure interpersonal relationships in group therapy. Significant improvement in the measure of interpersonal behavior in the group therapy was noted in Condition A only. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3IG28U. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group climate as a factor in the relevance and accuracy of social perception.

"Twenty-eight groups of five or four graduate students each, controlled for sex, education, and acquaintance were assigned to congenial or noncongenial group climates." The accuracy of social perception as a function of the "climate" of social interaction was studied. "Individuals in congenial groups were significantly more accurate in perceiving task oriented behavior of their group than were individuals in noncongenial groups… . Individuals in noncongenial groups were not more accurate in perceiving the interpersonal relations in the groups than were individuals in congenial groups." Other findings on accuracy of perception are reported. "It is concluded that social climates can predictably affect the perception of task-oriented behavior, but that further research on the relationships among social climate, ego-oriented behavior, and accuracy in social perception is necessary." 24 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal perceptions of open-hearth foremen and steel production.

For management personnel of 4 open-hearth shops, interpersonal perception (measured by means of Assumed Similarity tests which reflect how similar or different a person describes his most and his least preferred work companions) was significantly related to group effectiveness measures based on the time to complete a "heat" of steel. "These results are consistent with the hypothesis that more effective groups have supervisors who tend to predict different responses for their most—and least—preferred co-workers." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

To see ourselves as others see us: An experimental integration of the intra and interpersonal consequences of self-protection in social anxiety disorder.

The current study investigated the mechanism through which safety behaviors perpetuate perceived and actual negative social outcomes hypothesized to maintain social anxiety disorder (SAD). Eighty individuals diagnosed with generalized SAD took part in a “getting acquainted” conversation with a trained experimental confederate. Participants were then randomly assigned to either a safety behavior reduction plus exposure condition (SB + EXP) or a graduated exposure (EXP) control condition and completed a 2nd conversation with the same interaction partner. Mediation analyses revealed that participants instructed to reduce their idiosyncratic safety behaviors displayed significantly greater increases in both perceived and actual positive interpersonal outcomes relative to the EXP group. However, whereas the safety behavior manipulation influenced participants' appraisals of their partner's reaction to them through reducing self-judgments about the visibility of anxiety-related behaviors, in reality, the SB + EXP group elicited more positive partner reactions because they displayed a greater increase in social approach behavior. Thus, although both parties recognized positive changes in the social exchange following the safety behavior manipulation, different sources of social information accounted for participant versus partner interpersonal judgments. The current findings point to the potential value of considering both the intra and interpersonal consequences of safety behaviors in SAD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Functional Projection: How Fundamental Social Motives Can Bias Interpersonal Perception.

Results from 2 experimental studies suggest that self-protection and mate-search goals lead to the perception of functionally relevant emotional expressions in goal-relevant social targets. Activating a self-protection goal led participants to perceive greater anger in Black male faces (Study 1) and Arab faces (Study 2), both out-groups heuristically associated with physical threat. In Study 2, participants' level of implicit Arab-threat associations moderated this bias. Activating a mate-search goal led male, but not female, participants to perceive more sexual arousal in attractive opposite-sex targets (Study 1). Activating these goals did not influence perceptions of goal-irrelevant targets. Additionally, participants with chronic self-protective and mate-search goals exhibited similar biases. Findings are consistent with a functionalist, motivation-based account of interpersonal perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accuracy of interpersonal prediction as a function of judge and object characteristics.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the accuracy obtained in an interpersonal prediction task is affected by selecting systematically the objects of prediction. 9 social objects were selected, varying on the dimensions of ego control and self-favorableness. 69 Ss viewed sound movies of the behavior of each object in a stress interview and tried to predict his self Q sort of 54 adjectives. The Ss were classified also on the dimension of ego control. Significant variance was found to be associated with ego control of the Ss, and with both ego control and self-favorableness of the social objects. 17 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acting, behaving, and the selfless basis of metaperception.

The desire to create a particular impression of oneself to others is a fundamental interpersonal motive that should be followed by an assessment of the success of the self-presentation. The authors integrate the areas of self-presentation and metaperception in the present research by assigning participants to enact roles during 2 dyadic interactions and measuring the actors' metaperceptions and their partners' trait judgments. They found a high level of accuracy in actors' metaperceptions but no accuracy in partners' trait judgments of the actors. Instead, partners' trait judgments corresponded closely to the actors' interpersonal behavior, indicating that there was little or no "personality leakage" in the actors' behavior. Random assignment to role created a situation in which private self was uncorrelated with public self. Results indicate that actors were able to disregard their self-concepts when determining the impressions they created. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and variability of affective experience and interpersonal behavior in borderline personality disorder.

This study examined both mean levels and intraindividual variability in the mood and interpersonal behavior of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and nonclinical control participants over a 20-day event-contingent recording period. Individuals in the BPD group experienced more unpleasantly valenced affect and were less dominant, more submissive, more quarrelsome, and more extreme in overall levels of behavior than control participants. In addition to these mean-level differences, individuals with BPD also reported more intraindividual variability in overall affect valence and in pleasantly valenced affect; displayed greater variability in dominant, quarrelsome, and agreeable behaviors; and exhibited an increased tendency to "spin" among interpersonal behaviors relative to nonclinical control participants. The findings document behavioral and affective manifestations of BPD in the context of naturally occurring interpersonal situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)