Functional projection: how fundamental social motives can bias interpersonal perception.
Results from 2 experimental studies suggest that self-protection and mate-search goals lead to the perception of functionally relevant emotional expressions in goal-relevant social targets. Activating a self-protection goal led participants to perceive greater anger in Black male faces (Study 1) and Arab faces (Study 2), both out-groups heuristically associated with physical threat. In Study 2, participants' level of implicit Arab-threat associations moderated this bias. Activating a mate-search goal led male, but not female, participants to perceive more sexual arousal in attractive opposite-sex targets (Study 1). Activating these goals did not influence perceptions of goal-irrelevant targets. Additionally, participants with chronic self-protective and mate-search goals exhibited similar biases. Findings are consistent with a functionalist, motivation-based account of interpersonal perception.
Maner
Jon K
JK
Department of Psychology.
Kenrick
Douglas T
DT
Department of Psychology.
Becker
D Vaughn
DV
Department of Psychology.
Robertson
Theresa E
TE
0000-0001-8229-2323
Department of Psychology.
Hofer
Brian
B
Department of Psychology.
Neuberg
Steven L
SL
Department of Psychology.
Delton
Andrew W
AW
Department of Psychology.
Butner
Jonathan
J
Department of Psychology.
Schaller
Mark
M
Department of Psychology.
D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011287:Prejudice; D011385:Projection; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology