Implicational schemata and the correspondence bias: on the diagnostic value of situationally constrained behavior.
Drawing on G. D. Reeder's (1993) schematic model of dispositional inference, it is hypothesized that perceivers' tendency to draw correspondent dispositional inferences from situationally constrained behavior (i.e., the correspondence bias) can be due to the application of schematic assumptions about trait-behavior relations (i.e., implicational schemata) within the process of situational adjustment. Applied to attitude attribution, situational adjustment is hypothesized to follow an implicit theory of ability, implying that only authors with a corresponding attitude are able to write a persuasive essay toward a given position. Results from 6 experiments offer converging evidence for this hypothesis. Implications for a sufficient understanding of the processes that lead to the correspondence bias are discussed.
Gawronski
Bertram
B
Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. gawronski@northwestern.edu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D011897:Random Allocation; D012931:Social Environment; D012945:Social Values