When Social Perception Goes Wrong: Judging Targets’ Behavior toward Gay Versus Straight People

Abstract

Accurate social perception depends on many factors, including the extent to which perceivers hold correct beliefs about how behaviors reflect the characteristic being judged. In Study 1, target participants recorded videos introducing themselves to either a gay or straight student who was ostensibly in another room. Unbeknownst to the targets, the other student was illusory and not real. Analysis of the targets’ videos revealed that they behaved more positively toward the gay than straight student. Two subsequent studies demonstrated that new perceivers were below chance in guessing the illusory student’s sexual orientation from watching the male targets’ behavior, presumably because they expected to see negative behavior toward the gay illusory student. The study documents processes whereby social perception can go awry.

Notes

1 The difference between positive nonverbal impressions toward the manipulated male student (n = 88, M = 4.36, SD = .78) compared to the female student (n = 83, M = 4.52, SD = .73) was small (d = −.21). Furthermore, male participants (n = 85, M = 4.40, SD = .77) did not behave differently than female participants (n = 86, M = 4.48, SD = .75), with a small effect size (d = −.11).

2 Overall accuracy rate did not differ greatly between male perceivers (n = 13, M = .49, SD = .08) and female perceivers (n = 44, M = .48, SD = .06, d = .15).

3 Study 3 included an additional manipulation that sought to increase accuracy through an instructional change for half of the perceivers. They were instructed that sometimes people act very positively even when they hold negative attitudes or anxiety toward certain social groups. This did not influence accuracy: Perceivers who received the instructional change (n = 44, M = .48, SD = .08) did not differ much from those that did not receive additional information (n = 44, M = .47, SD = .07, d = .13).

4 Accuracy rate did not differ by perceivers’ gender. Male perceivers (n = 22, M = .48, SD = .07) did not differ greatly from female perceivers (n = 66, M = .47, SD = .08, d = .13).