TY - JOUR
T1 - Interfering with inferential, but not associative, processes underlying spontaneous trait inference
AU - Crawford, Matthew T.
AU - Skowronski, John J.
AU - Stiff, Chris
AU - Scherer, Cory R.
PY - 2007/5/1
Y1 - 2007/5/1
N2 - Three studies explore mental processes underlying spontaneous trait inferences about self-informants and the spontaneous trait transference characterizing third-party informants. Process differences are suggested in that instructions prompting a nontrait inference (truth or lie?) reduce self-informant trait-savings effects and lower self-informant trait judgments. For third-party informants, such instructions have no effect on these outcome variables. Results of a third study are inconsistent with cognitive load as an explanation for these effects. Taken together, these results indicate that inferences, and not merely associations, spontaneously form when processing information about self-informants. The results also show that the inferences and judgments that occur in spontaneous trait transference are not caused by the misidentification of third-party informants as self-informants.
AB - Three studies explore mental processes underlying spontaneous trait inferences about self-informants and the spontaneous trait transference characterizing third-party informants. Process differences are suggested in that instructions prompting a nontrait inference (truth or lie?) reduce self-informant trait-savings effects and lower self-informant trait judgments. For third-party informants, such instructions have no effect on these outcome variables. Results of a third study are inconsistent with cognitive load as an explanation for these effects. Taken together, these results indicate that inferences, and not merely associations, spontaneously form when processing information about self-informants. The results also show that the inferences and judgments that occur in spontaneous trait transference are not caused by the misidentification of third-party informants as self-informants.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34247632979&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/0146167206298567
DO - 10.1177/0146167206298567
M3 - Article
C2 - 17440206
AN - SCOPUS:34247632979
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 33
SP - 677
EP - 690
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 5
ER -