Abstract
Differences in the formation of perceived "warm" and "cold" personality impressions by the influences of verbal cue traits and object-person gestures
P.O. Peretti
Various studies have suggested the importance of verbal cue traits in the perceiver's consideration of other's personality. Yet, other literature suggests gestures as being of prime importance in the formation of personality impressions. The present paper reports an attempt to: (1) separate the Ss into different groups to find out any differences of response which might result; (2) use sequential ordering of verbal cue traits and object-person gestures in four ways to find out the varied influences on personality impressions; and (3) determine which of the stimuli seems more relevant in Ss' formations of personality impressions. Results indicated that the different groups of Ss varied their responses to the stimuli; that either verbal cue traits or object-person gestures may be more significant in the formation of certain impressions depending on the "correct" or "incorrect" presentation; and that verbal cue traits seem more salient when the Ss have little information about the object-person, but, as they are provided with additional data, then the gestures tend to become at least as important in their consideration of personality impressions as the verbal cues.