Attitudes and Social Cognition
Spontaneous Trait Transference: Communicators Take on the Qualities They Describe in Others*1
John J. SkowronskiCorresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, a, Donal E. CarlstonCorresponding Author Contact Information, b, Lynda Maeb and Matthew T. Crawfordc
a Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University at Newark, USA
b Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, USA
c Department of Psychology, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
Abstract
Spontaneous trait transference occurs when communicators are perceived as possessing the very traits they describe in others. Study 1 confirmed that communicators become associated with the trait implications of their descriptions of others and that such associations persist over time. Study 2 demonstrated that these associations influence specific trait impressions of communicators. Study 3 suggested that spontaneous trait transference reflects simple associative processes that occur even when there are no logical bases for making inferences. Finally, Study 4 used more naturalistic stimuli and provided additional evidence that the phenomenon reflects mindless associations rather than logical attributions. Together these studies demonstrate that spontaneous trait transference is a reliable phenomenon that plays a previously unrecognized role in social perception and interaction.
1179 University Drive, The Ohio State University at Newark, Newark, Ohio 43055; email:
skowronski.1@osu.edu
Department of Psychological Sciences, Psychological Sciences Building, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907