Trait Ambiguity and Impression Formation

Sufficiency Tests of the Meaning Change Model

Bibliographic Data

ID10122286
AuthorsJack McKillip (Southern Illinois University Carbondale, corresponding author), Gary Barrett (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Anthony J Dimiceli (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)
Year1978
Volume98
Issue2
Pages161-171
Publication date1978-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of General Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-1309 • E-ISSN: 1940-0888
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00221309.1978.9920869
PMID660167
OpenAlexW2080920953
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited9

Two experiments tested the meaning change model's prediction for the effect of trait ambiguity on impression formation. Participants were all college students, 43 males and 29 females in Experiment 1 and 20 males and 28 females in Experiment 2. Standard impression formation tasks were used. The results revealed greater context effects for high as compared to low ambiguous traits and greater influence on description ratings for low as compared to high ambiguous traits, supporting the meaning change model. When ratings of descriptions and of individual traits were clearly separated, context effects were observed only for low ambiguous traits. The implications of this finding for meaning change and information integration models of impression formation are discussed

Ambiguity · Context (archaeology · Impression · Impression formation · Meaning (existential · Perception · Social perception · Trait · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Computer Science · Personality Traits and Psychology · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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