Page 152 - The Social Animal

134 The Social Animal

Although the results of the Aronson and Jones experiment
demonstrate the complexity of the phenomenon, it is an interesting
exception to the general rule; with few exceptions, in forming im-
pressions of people, what mother told us was right: first impressions
matter a great deal.
Why does the primacy effect in impression formation occur? Re-
searchers have found evidence for two explanations—either of which
can be true, depending on the circumstances. According to the at-
tention decrement explanation, the later items in a list receive less at-
tention as the observers tire and their minds start to wander; thus,
these items have less impact on judgment. According to the interpre-
tive set explanation, the first items serve to create an initial impres-
sion that then is used to interpret subsequent information, either
through the discounting of incongruent facts (i.e., if Steve is intelli-
gent, why should he be envious?) or by subtle changes in the mean-
ing of the words further down the list (i.e., being critical is a positive
attribute if Steve is intelligent but a negative one if he is stubborn).
Regardless of the explanation, the primacy effect has an important
impact on social judgment. Moreover, we usually have little control
over the order in which we receive information—whether that infor-
mation is from a television news show or from our everyday obser-
vations of friends and neighbors. Therefore, it is important to realize
the existence of these effects so that we can try to correct for them.

The Amount of Information When pondering a difficult de-
cision, a common plea is often heard: “If I only had more informa-
tion.” Although having more information may sometimes be helpful,
it can also change how an object is perceived and evaluated through
what is called the dilution effect— the tendency for neutral and ir-
relevant information to weaken a judgment or impression. Consider
this example, taken from an experiment by Henry Zukier. Which
30
student has the higher grade point average?
Tim spends about 31 hours studying outside of class in an av-
erage week.
Tom spends about 31 hours studying outside of class in an av-
erage week. Tom has one brother and two sisters. He visits his
grandparents about once every 3 months. He once went on a
blind date and shoots pool about once every 2 months.