Inferential paths in social perception
Date
1978
Authors
Norman, Stephen A.
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Abstract
The presenter esearch explored the use of inferential paths in social perception. An inferential path is a series or chain of inferences that a person makes when assessing the meaning of social behaviour. A review of literature suggested that the effects of inferential paths are primarily psycholinguistic in nature. Two particular inferential paths were identified and examined experimentally in two pilot studies. In these studies subjects were shown behaviour and guided through different inferential paths. It was found that the conclusions drawn by subjects about the behaviour they saw depended on the inferential path through which they were guided. In the second of these studies, evidence was obtained to suggest that subjects who we re not specifically guided through the inferential paths, probably use them anyway.
A final experiment looked at the possibility that role requirements dictate the inferential path taken by those who are specifically guided through a path. Role requirements describe the needs people have when they occupy particular roles in a social situation. Previous research demonstrated that role requirements, like inferential paths, are related to person perception. In general, when subjects interact with another person, or anticipate such interaction, they state that they know that person's traits, dispositions or personality, better than subjects who do not have to interact. In other words, part of the role requirements of people who interact with others is the perception of knowing those with whom they interact. Trait attributions satisfy these requirements. They provide knowledge of the other person. The final experiment indicated that in part, this knowledge is inferred via inferential paths.
Results were discussed with respect to various possible models of person perception. The model closest to the data holds that role requirements activate cognitive processes which in turn determine person perception.