Lecture 3 Flashcards
Describe the experiment investigating the role of expectations in impression formation.
Setting: experimenter shows up at psychology class and says prof is out of town, thus guest lecturer will give teach, and the department wanted to evaluate the guest lecturer. So students asked to evalauate lecturer. Experimenter distributed a biographical sketch which mentioned he was considered "rather warm" (condition 1) or "rather cold" (condition 2). Lecturer comes in and is introduced, gives lecture, then students evaluate lecturer.
Results: condition 1 lecturer rated more positively than condition 2 on many traits. But not significantly on knowledge or intelligence. Also, 56% of students in warm condition participated in class discussion vs. 32% in cold.
What does the experiment with the guest lecturer tell us about expectations in impression formation?
Expectations influence perception as well as behaviour. People will often react to us in a way that confirms our original perception of them.
Explain the experiment that showed how our expectations mold behaviour of others (Sibicky and Dovidio (1986))
-68 pairs of students were brought together for a “get acquanted” situation.
- one member of the pair (designated as the “evaluator”) was told that the other student was either a client seeking psychotherapy (condition 1) or another student (condition 2)
- The second member of the pair (designated as “target” was told nothing.
Results: condition 1 evaluators” treated the target more negatively than condition 2 evaluators
** The “client” targets actually behaved in less socially desirable ways than did “student targets**
Conclude: “evaluators” behaviours elicited responses from the “target” that confirmed the evalutors expectations. ==> the self fulfilling prophecy. i.e. an expectation that causes its own fulfillment.
Describe the self fulfilling prophecy
Expectation ==> certain behaviour ==> corresponding response from other person ==> which confirms original expectation. More of a spiral than a vicious cycle.
What is nonverbal communication?
Nonverbal means everything except the literal meaning of what they are saying.
Tone of voice, cadence, posture, facial expression etc…
What are some channels of nonverbal communication?
Physical appearance
voice
Explain physical appearance as it relates to nonverbal communication
- Plays an important role in impression formation
- often is the first info that is received
- When we like what we see, we are more inclined to ascribe positive characteristics to the other person.
Explain the experiment demonstrating the importance of physical appearance in nonverbal communication
Phase 1: rATE YEARBOOK PICTURES
- 3 categories: highly attractive, unattractive, and average
Phase 2: participants (different from phase 1 participants) received pictures of people and rate them on several dimensions
Results: more attractive people got more positive ratings.
Explain how voice is important to nonverbal communication.
Vocal qualities affect impressions. 2 qualities have received recent attention: vocal attractiveness and vocal maturity. These 2 characteristics tend to evoke stereotypes that are similar to physical appearance stereotypes.
Describe vocal attractiveness
How pleasant listeners consider a voice to be.
Define vocal maturity.
Rating on a scale from “babyish” to “mature”
Describe 2 studies on vocal qualities
Participants rated people with attractive voices as more warm, honest, likeable, dominant, and likely to achieve, than people with less attractive voices
Participants rated people with babyish voices to be warmer, more honest, less powerful, and less competent than people with more mature voices.
What are some behaviours of liers?
Touching self more (self directed gestures), blink more, moving less (no big hand gestures), don’t smile more, don’t avert their eyes more, shift around uncomfertably.
