Journal article
Behavioral Consensus Information Affects People's Inferences about Population Traits
Personality & social psychology bulletin, Vol.23(2), pp.148-156
02/1997
DOI: 10.1177/0146167297232004
Abstract
Because people often do not moderate trait inferences when consensus is manipulated, it has been concluded that people neglect consensus information. Use of a Bayesian model, how ever, shows that there is no logical imperative that behavioral base-rate information must moderate trait inferences for a target's behavior. Instead, changes in consensus information can be accommodated by changes in the assumed prevalence of relevant traits in the population. Across two scenarios (N= 84), consensus manipulations had no effect on participants' trait inferences from the target's behavior but had robust effects on participants' assumptions about traits for the average person in a relevant population. Although attributors are unlikely to be using a Bayesian reasoning process, their responses do not violate Bayesian reasoning, and they clearly are not neglecting consensus information. A distinction is drawn between neglecting consensus information and using consensus information in a manner consistent with a dispositional bias.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Behavioral Consensus Information Affects People's Inferences about Population Traits
- Creators
- Paul D Windschitl - Psychological and Brain SciencesGary L Wells - Iowa State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Personality & social psychology bulletin, Vol.23(2), pp.148-156
- DOI
- 10.1177/0146167297232004
- ISSN
- 0146-1672
- eISSN
- 1552-7433
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/1997
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984213392402771
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