| Abstract: | The 1st author (1980) and J. H. Lingle (see record 1984-15004-001) argued that remembered behaviors, previous trait inferences, or both may be accessed and used in making new trait inferences. This argument is related to a spreading activation model of memory, and factors that should affect the relative accessibility of inferences and behaviors during trait judgment processes are suggested. A study with 112 undergraduates varied several of these factors and assessed accessibility, using response-time methods. Results support the model's prediction that prompting inference formation facilitates subsequent trait judgment response times, but only when relevant behavior memories have not been recently primed. It is theorized that the inference manipulations used in this study strengthened the direct pathway to a relevant trait concept, but that the strength of this pathway was immaterial to judgment response times when a "proximal prime" directed retrieval efforts along an alternative "behavioral" route to the trait information. Results also suggest that the proximal behavior prime facilitated trait responses among Ss who had not been induced to make trait inferences, but slowed trait responses among Ss who had previously been induced to make trait inferences. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
