I like her, because I like myself: self-evaluation as a source of interpersonal attitudes.
Two experiments tested the hypothesis that self-evaluation can serve as a source of interpersonal attitudes. In the first study, self-evaluation was manipulated by means of false feedback. A subsequent learning phase demonstrated that the co-occurrence of the self with another individual influenced the evaluation of this previously neutral target. Whereas evaluative self-target similarity increased under conditions of negative self-evaluation, an opposite effect emerged in the positive self-evaluation group. A second study replicated these findings and showed that the difference between positive and negative self-evaluation conditions disappeared when a load manipulation was applied. The implications of self-evaluation for attitude formation processes are discussed.
University of Heidelberg, Germany. Eva.Walther@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de
Eva
E
Walther
Claudia
C
Trasselli
D001290:Attitude; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception