Cognitive consequences of novelty and familiarity

How mere exposure influences level of construal

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9007697
AutoresJens Förster (University of Amsterdam, autor correspondente)
Ano2008
Volume45
Fascículo2
Páginas444-447
Data de publicação2008-10-27
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Experimental Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0022-1031 • E-ISSN: 1096-0465
EditoraElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jesp.2008.10.011
OpenAlexW2007480069
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas19
Referências citadas14

Two experiments examine whether frequency of exposure influences level of construal. Using subliminal presentation, participants were exposed to neutral, unknown letters 0, 5, 15, or 40 times, and a typical mere exposure effect was found on evaluation. However, we hypothesized and showed in Experiment 1 that novelty enhances Gestalt-like, global perception, whereas familiarity bolsters detail-oriented, local perception. Furthermore, in Experiment 2, we demonstrated that participants generated more abstract solutions for items presented less frequently. These results support a Construal level theory [Liberman, N., Trope, Y., & Stephan, E. (2007). Psychological distance. In E. T. Higgins & A. W. Kruglanski, Social psychology, handbook of basic principles. New York: Guilford Press.] contention that distance from direct experience is associated with high construal level and global processing. It seems that in order to prepare for novel events, people automatically engage in higher levels of construal. New information needs to be integrated into existing knowledge structures in order to be understood, and abstract categories and global processing may support the process of understanding

Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Construal level theory · Gestalt psychology · Information processing · Novelty · Perception · Subliminal stimuli · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology