Individual differences in learning the affective value of others under minimal conditions.
- 1 January 2008
- journal article
- Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in Emotion
- Vol. 8 (4), 479-493
- https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.8.4.479
Abstract
This paper provides the first demonstration that people can learn about the positive and negative value of other people (e.g., neutral faces) under minimal learning conditions, with stable individual differences in this learning. In four studies, participants viewed neutral faces paired with sentences describing positive, negative or neutral behaviors on either two (Study 1) or four (Studies 2, 3, and 4) occasions. Participants were later asked to judge the valence of the faces alone. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that learning does occur under minimal conditions. Study 3 and 4 further demonstrated that the degree of learning was moderated by Extraversion. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated that initial learning persisted over a period of 2 days. Implications for affective processing and person perception are discussed.Funding Information
- National Science Foundation (BCS 0527440)
- National Institute of Mental Health (K02 MH001981)
- National Institutes of Health (DP1OD003312)
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