The Joint Influence of Consensus Information and Situational Information on Trait Inferences for Targets and Populations

Abstract

Two experiments examined the interplay of consensus information and situational information in shaping trait inferences. Participants read scenarios that described a target person's behavior (e.g., Matt volunteered to clean up after a park tour) and made trait inferences (e.g., perceived helpfulness) about the target and relevant population (e.g., other members of the park tour). We orthogonally manipulated the level of consensus for the target's behavior (high vs. low) and whether or not participants were given specific information that could comprise a viable situational explanation for the behavior (e.g., volunteers were offered an attractive gift certificate). The key prediction was that the two factors would interact in determining trait inferences about the target. As expected, when the specific situational information was mentioned in the scenario, participants used consensus information to modulate trait inferences about the target; when the specific situational information was not mentioned, part...