Judgment phenomena and cognitive complexity

This study was conducted in order to investigate the relationship between cognitive differentiation and (1) the use of extreme categories in Judgments of people, and (2) susceptibility to the Influence of relative anchors. Forty-eight female subjects, divided into high (complex) and low (simple) complexity groups on the basis of the Role Construct Repertory Test, rated the overall personal adjustment of 45 stimulus people. Results supported the predicted inverse relationship between cognitive complexity and the use of extreme judgment categories and offered tentative evidence for the differential effect of anchors on judges of varying cognitive differentiation. A serendipitous finding revealed a marked tendency for cognitively simple subjects to rate people more positively than cognitively complex subjects.Psychology, Department o