FORMING IMPRESSIONS OF PERSONALITY

Description

This classic study investigates the processes by which unified impressions of personality are formed. The author challenges the view that impressions are formed by the simple summation of independent traits. Through a series of experiments, Asch demonstrates that certain 'central' traits (such as 'warm' and 'cold') have a disproportionate effect on the final impression, while other 'peripheral' traits have less impact. The research also explores how the meaning of a trait changes depending on its context and the order in which information is received (the primacy effect). The findings suggest that impressions are structured wholes rather than mere collections of discrete characteristics....