Impressions Based on a Portrait Predict, 1-Month Later, Impressions Following a Live Interaction

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Gunaydin G., SELÇUK E., Zayas V.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE, vol.8, no.1, pp.36-44, 2017 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 8 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2017
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/1948550616662123
  • Journal Name: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.36-44
  • Keywords: impression formation, person perception, photographs, live interactions, interpersonal relationships, behavioral confirmation, halo effect, thin slices of behavior, VOCAL ATTRACTIVENESS, 1ST IMPRESSIONS, FACIAL IMAGES, PERSONALITY, ACCURACY, TRUSTWORTHINESS, KNOWLEDGE, BEHAVIOR
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

When it comes to person perception, does one "judge a book by its cover?" Perceivers made judgments of liking, and of personality, based on a photograph of an unknown other, and at least 1 month later, made judgments following a face-to-face interaction with the same person. Photograph-based liking judgments predicted interaction-based liking judgments, and, to a lesser extent, photograph-based personality judgments predicted interaction-based personality judgments (except for extraversion). Consistency in liking judgments (1) partly reflected behavioral confirmation (i.e., perceivers with favorable photograph-based judgments behaved more warmly toward the target during the live interaction, which elicited greater target warmth); (2) explained, at least in part, consistency in personality judgments (reflecting a halo effect); and (3) remained robust even after controlling for perceiver effects, target effects, and perceived attractiveness. These findings support the view that even after having "read a book," one still, to some extent, judges it by its "cover."