Person Perception (College Board AP® Psychology): Revision Note

What is person perception?

• Person perception refers to the processes by which we form impressions and make judgments about others, and about ourselves in relation to others

  • These judgments are not purely objective, but are shaped by:

    • cognitive shortcuts

    • prior expectations

    • social context

Mere exposure effect

• The mere exposure effect is the tendency to develop a preference for stimuli simply because we are exposed to them repeatedly

  • In other words, familiarity increases liking, even without any direct positive experience

    • E.g. you are more likely to prefer a brand of candy you have seen many times over one you have never encountered.

• Research also shows that people:

  • prefer letters in their own name

  • prefer their mirror image, while others prefer their photograph

• This effect operates largely outside conscious awareness as people are often unaware that familiarity is influencing their judgments

Applications

• The mere exposure effect is widely exploited in advertising

  • Repeated exposure to a brand or product increases consumer preference

• it also operates in social contexts

  • People tend to form more positive impressions of, and greater liking for, those they encounter more frequently (e.g., neighbors, classmates, colleagues)

Self-fulfilling prophecy

• A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when expectations about a person lead to behaviors that cause those expectations to come true

  • The expectation shapes behavior, which then produces the expected outcome, reinforcing the original belief

    • E.g. a teacher who believes a student is capable gives them more attention and encouragement, leading to improved performance

• Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) demonstrated this process in schools

  • Teachers were told that certain students were likely to show rapid academic improvement

    • The students were selected at random

  • By the end of the year, these students had made greater progress, as teacher expectations influenced how they were treated

Positive and negative effects

• Self-fulfilling prophecies can operate in both positive and negative directions:

  • Positive: high expectations lead to greater support and encouragement

    • This produces better outcomes

  • Negative: low expectations lead to less support and lower-quality interactions

    • This produces worse outcomes

  • This has important implications for educational inequality

• Self-fulfilling prophecies show that person perception does not simply reflect reality - it actively shapes it

Social comparison and relative deprivation

• Social comparison is the process of evaluating ourselves by comparing to others

  • Festinger (1954) proposed that people have a natural drive to assess their abilities and opinions, especially when objective standards are unavailable

• Social comparison can be:

  • Upward comparison: comparing oneself to someone who is perceived as better off or more capable

    • This can motivate improvement but can also produce feelings of inadequacy, envy, or low self-esteem

      • E.g. comparing your exam grade to the top student in the class

  • Downward comparison: comparing oneself to someone who is perceived as worse off or less capable

    • This typically enhances self-esteem and produces positive feelings, but can also produce complacency

      • E.g. comparing your grade to the lowest in the class

Relative deprivation

• Relative deprivation is the perception that one is worse off compared to others, even if one’s objective situation is adequate

  • It is a subjective social comparison, not absolute need

    • E.g. a person earning a good salary may feel relatively deprived if everyone around them earns significantly more

  • Relative deprivation can fuel dissatisfaction, resentment, and social unrest

    • This occurs even in societies where objective living standards are high