Seventy-two high school students viewed videotapes in which a confederate's behavior appeared to change markedly over a nominal six-month period. Half the students also saw the confederate's physical appearance (clothes, hairstyle) change significantly. Students observing physical change described the confederate's personality in a manner congruent with the behavior changes observed; students in the physical constancy condition, however, were significantly less likely to revise their trait ascriptions. This finding is discussed in terms of Mischel's suggestion that physical constancy contributes to the persistence of trait attribution processes.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Festinger, L.A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1957.
2.
Jones, E. E. & Nisbett, R. E.The actor and the observer: Divergent perceptions of the causes of behavior. Morristown, N. J.: General Learning Press, 1971.
3.
Kassin, S. M.Physical continuity and trait inference: A test of Mischel's hypothesis . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1977, 3, 637-640.
4.
Mischel, W.Personality and assessment. New York: Wiley, 1968.
