FORMING IMPRESSIONS OF SOCIAL CLASS - 2 TESTS OF AN AVERAGING MODEL

Examined the effects of stimulus inconsistency in 2 experiments which tested the applicability of a simple averaging model to impressions of social class. Undergraduates (Ns = 70 and 88)judged the social class of a series of persons each described by an occupation, income, and education. Results of both studies supported an averaging formulation of impression formation. Small but statistically significant deviations from the model were obtained in Exp. I and were attributed to summation and contrast effects. These effects did not receive independent confirmation in Exp. II. The departures from the model were interpreted as artifacts of the judgmental scale used in Exp. I. Neither study provided any evidence for a discounting of the inconsistent element. The implications for research on stimulus inconsistency in impression formation are discussed. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.