Do pre information affect impression formation

The first 200 words of this essay...

Introduction

When we meet someone for the first time what information do we use to help us decide what that person is like? They may shake hands, smile, and look at us. They may be dressed in a certain way, speak with an accent or remind us of someone as judgements are made on very little information. All this information is used, more or less effectively to help us in our impression formation. However there are circumstances when we get it wrong and unconscious cues or biases result in misjudgements of others.

A theory was put forward by Asch (1946) in a series of investigations that saw him varying one trait within a set of traits, and then gaining a record of the final impressions. An analysis was then made addressing whether or not these varied traits had any effect on the final impressions. Asch believed that the final impressions would vary according to the presence of a different central trait. This would suggest that all traits that are given to the participants are combined into a single image of the hypothetical person in question. Asch's experiment was also further validated by a more 'naturalistic' replication by Kelley