The effect of anxiety on impression formation: Affect-congruent or stereotypic biases?

Curtis, G.J. and Locke, V. (2005) The effect of anxiety on impression formation: Affect-congruent or stereotypic biases? British Journal of Social Psychology, 44 (1). pp. 65-83.

Abstract

Two classes of theories propose that anxious individuals will form either more affect congruent or more stereotypic impressions of others. These theories’ predictions are not mutually exclusive. Eighty-one participants were examined to determine if either class of theories was more descriptive of the effect of anxiety on impression formation or whether a theory combining elements of both was more appropriate. Anxious participants read behavioural descriptions about an Australian Aboriginal target that were stereotypic, non-stereotypic, threatening, and non-threatening, and rated the target on traits that corresponded to the behavioural descriptions. Anxious participants formed impressions that were more affect-congruent, but not more stereotypic, than those formed by control participants. This result was replicated in a field study with 61 participants who were waiting to see a dentist. Future studies should examine the cognitive mechanisms that influence and underlie anxious affect-congruent impression formation.

Publication Type:	Journal Article
Publisher:	The British Psychological Society
Copyright:	2005 The British Psychological Society
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/9887

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