The Effects of Behavioral Frequency on Perceptions of Morality and Competence

Abstract

This study was stemmed from the prior research of Skowronski and Carlston (1987) and Wojciszke, Brycz, and Borkenau (1993). Both authors remind us that when forming first impressions, humans exhibit a negativity bias for the morality domain and a positivity bias for the competence domain. Both authors also support the idea that extremity of behaviors has a potent and lasting effect on our updating capabilities. Skowronski claims that the extremity bias is potent for both the moral and competence domains. Wojciszke on the other hand, claims that extremity of diagnostic information is most influential in the morality domain but not the competence domain. This open-ended debate ultimately led to our own work. We sought to defuse any questions about behavioral frequency on ratings of domain and valence. Through two successive tests of frequency intervention we were able to replicate split results from both of these previous authors but did not accept or deny either of their claims on the effect of extremity. We did however examine the ratings of confidence and surprise recorded when evaluating domain and valence under altered frequency. Again our results solely reaffirmed previous findings but we were nonetheless pleased to witness these results firsthand.