Perspective taking: self-other overlap as a mediating process in stereotypical behavior predictions

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology: Academic Research, 2013Perspective taking can be instrumental in increasing the accuracy of behavioral predictions made about another (Gold, 2004). Perspective taking decreases the reliance on stereotype-relevant context clues to reach a conclusion. According to the dual processing model (Brewer, 1988) of impression formation, more personalized contact will induce individuated bottom-up processing. Perspective taking causes a perceived temporary overlapping of identity traits with the target of the perspective-taking attempt (Galinsky & Moskowitz, 2000). This identification with a previously unknown other should elicit a self-focus while making predictions about their behavior, thus reducing the reliance of stereotypes in behavioral predictions. A criterion group (n = 30) of M.A. students predicted the likelihood of using each type of social influence. Experimental participants (n = 82) predicted what social influence strategies graduate students are likely to employ to collect class notes from underclass students. Difference scores, subtracting the graduate mean from the mean predictions of each experimental group, evaluate the relative accuracy of predictions. This study found that participants in the perspective-taking condition made less stereotypical behavioral predictions than objective participants. Moreover, participants in the perspective-taking condition displayed greater levels of congruence with graduate students in overall expectancy scores than participants in the objective condition. This finding corroborates previous research that perspective taking decreases the reliance on stereotype-relevant information to make judgments about another, thus increasing the relative accuracy of behavioral expectancies for participants in the perspective-taking condition. The degree of temporary identity overlap did not differ between experimental conditions. In this study, self-other identity overlap was not a valid mediator of the relationship between perspective taking and stereotype bias