ERIC Number: ED229682
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982-Aug
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Sequential Information Presentation, Behavioral Expectations, and the Observer Bias.
Croxton, Jack S.; And Others
Typically, attributions of attitude are assessed after one instance of an actor's behavior. To determine what types of attributions observers make after the presentation of a sequence of behaviors, 135 college students were asked to make attributions about an actor's behavior after having been provided with category-based (group membership) and target-based (a prior behavior) information. The actor's behavioral freedom was left uncertain in order to determine whether observers would rely primarily on prior information or on the content of the behavior itself when making an attribution. Results showed that observers made a dispositional attribution even in those cases where possible constraints on the actor's behavior were indicated by the prior information. Only the confidence ratings and the perceived validity of the actor's arguments were affected. The results indicate that when perceivers are given a series of behaviors to interpret, each behavior is believed to be high in information value even when prior behaviors and background of the actor indicate otherwise. (JAC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (90th, Washington, DC, August 23-27, 1982).