Social evaluation: Comparing models across interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup, several-group, and many-group contexts

Abstract

This chapter compares five models that analyze social evaluation from the micro, interpersonal to macro, many-group level: the Dual Perspective Model (DPM), Behavioral Regulation Model (BRM), Dimensional Compensation Model (DCM), Stereotype Content Model (SCM), and Agency-Beliefs-Communion (ABC) Model. A proper understanding of social evaluation must consider the models’ different types and numbers of perceivers, targets, and dimensions. By making a systematic comparison in the first part of the chapter, we sharpen the aim and scope of the complementary models and research programs supporting them. In the second part, we combine the models’ premises and evidence bases to generate new insights about social evaluation. In this way, we show that the models can expand and enrich one another. Our conclusion is that, instead of competing against one another, related theoretical perspectives are best compared and integrated to improve scientific insight about complex phenomena, such as social evaluation.