{"title":"Updating stereotypical attributions in light of new information: The attractiveness halo effect changes when attractiveness changes","authors":"Marine Rougier, Jan De Houwer","doi":"10.1002/ejsp.3017","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>In the attractiveness halo effect, a single known piece of information about a target stimulus (attractiveness of a person) influences assumptions about a host of other attributes about that target (e.g. this person is socially competent or vain). We examined for the first time whether this effect can be updated, that is, whether new information about physical attractiveness (e.g. that someone is not as attractive as initially thought) can undo the effects of earlier information. Across three preregistered experiments (<i>n</i> = 1131), we obtained evidence of a halo-update effect and showed that updating depended on the extent to which personality traits are stereotypically related to attractiveness (i.e. updating was larger for the traits that are typically influenced by attractiveness information). We also explored potential mediators of the halo-update effect. By shedding new light on the malleability of stereotypical attributions, our work has both theoretical and practical implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":48377,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Social Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"European Journal of Social Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.3017","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In the attractiveness halo effect, a single known piece of information about a target stimulus (attractiveness of a person) influences assumptions about a host of other attributes about that target (e.g. this person is socially competent or vain). We examined for the first time whether this effect can be updated, that is, whether new information about physical attractiveness (e.g. that someone is not as attractive as initially thought) can undo the effects of earlier information. Across three preregistered experiments (n = 1131), we obtained evidence of a halo-update effect and showed that updating depended on the extent to which personality traits are stereotypically related to attractiveness (i.e. updating was larger for the traits that are typically influenced by attractiveness information). We also explored potential mediators of the halo-update effect. By shedding new light on the malleability of stereotypical attributions, our work has both theoretical and practical implications.
期刊介绍:
Topics covered include, among others, intergroup relations, group processes, social cognition, attitudes, social influence and persuasion, self and identity, verbal and nonverbal communication, language and thought, affect and emotion, embodied and situated cognition and individual differences of social-psychological relevance. Together with original research articles, the European Journal of Social Psychology"s innovative and inclusive style is reflected in the variety of articles published: Research Article: Original articles that provide a significant contribution to the understanding of social phenomena, up to a maximum of 12,000 words in length.