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First impression (psychology)

In psychology, a first impression is the event when one person first encounters another person and forms a mental image of that person. Impression accuracy varies depending on the observer and the target (person, object, scene, etc.) being observed.[1][2][unreliable medical source?] First impressions are based on a wide range of characteristics: age, race, culture, language, gender, physical appearance, accent, posture, voice, number of people present, economic status, and time allowed to process.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8] [unreliable medical source?] The first impressions individuals give to others could greatly influence how they are treated and viewed in many contexts of everyday life.[9][10]

Speed and accuracy edit

It takes just one-tenth of a second for people to judge someone and make a first impression.[11] Research finds that the more time participants are afforded to form the impression, the more confidence in impressions they report.[11][12] Not only are people quick to form first impressions, they are also fairly accurate when the target presents themself genuinely. People are generally not good at perceiving feigned emotions or detecting lies upon a first encounter.[2] Research participants who reported forming accurate impressions of specific targets did tend to have more accurate perceptions of specific targets that aligned with others' reports of the target.[4] Individuals are also fairly reliable at understanding the first impression that they will project to others.[13] However, people are not as good at understanding how well other people like them, and most people tend to underestimate how much other people like them.[14][15] This phenomenon is called the liking gap.[16][17]

The rate at which different qualities are detected in first impressions may be linked to what has been important to survival from an evolutionary perspective.[11] For example, trustworthiness and attractiveness were the two traits most quickly detected and evaluated in a study of human faces.[11][12] People are fairly good at assessing personality traits of others in general, but there appears to be a difference in first impression judgments between older and younger adults. Older adults judged young adult target photos as healthier, more trustworthy, and less hostile, but more aggressive, than younger adults did of the same photos.[18] Older adults could have a lower response to negative cues due to a slower processing speed, causing them to see facial features on young adults as more positive than younger adults do.[18]

Number of observers edit

One's first impressions are affected by whether they're alone or with any number of people.[5] Joint experiences are more globally processed (see global precedence for more on processing), as in collectivist cultures. Global processing emphasizes first impressions more because the collective first impression tends to remain stable over time. Solo experiences tend to facilitate local processing, causing the viewer to take a more critical look at the target. Thus, individuals are more likely to have negative first impressions than groups of two or more viewers of the same target. At the same time, individuals are more likely to experience an upward trend over the course of a series of impressions, e.g. individual viewers will like the final episode of a TV season more than the first even if it is really the same quality.[5]

When viewing pieces of art in an experiment, participants in a solo context rated art in an improving sequence significantly higher than when the targets are presented in a declining sequence.[5] When viewing the art in a joint context, participants evaluated the first and last pieces similarly in both kinds of sequence. Simply priming viewers to feel like they were in solo or joint contexts or to process analytically or holistically was enough to produce the same viewing effects.[5]

Cultural influences edit

Individualism versus collectivism edit

Similar to the number of viewers present, collectivism versus individualism can influence impression formation.[3] Collectivists are at ease as long as their impressions are largely in alignment with the larger group's impressions. When a collectivist wants to change their impression, they may be compelled to change the views of all group members.[19] However, this could be challenging for collectivists, who tend to be less confrontational than individualists. Individualists are willing to change their own views at will and are generally more comfortable with uncertainty, which makes them naturally more willing to change their impressions.[19]

Influence of media richness edit

There is no research regarding if national culture mediates the relationship between media richness and bias in impression formation. Some studies that manipulated media richness have found that information presented in text form yields similar impressions (measured by reported appraisal scores) among cultures,[19] while other studies found that richer forms of information such as videos reduce cross-cultural bias more effectively.[20] The latter findings support Media Richness Theory.[20]

Accents and speech edit

Accents and unique speech patterns can influence how people are perceived by those to whom they are speaking. For example, when hypothetically interviewing an applicant with a Midwestern U.S. accent, Colombian accent, or French accent, Midwestern U.S. participants evaluated the U.S. accent as significantly more positive than the applicant with the French accent due to perceived similarity to themselves.[21] The evaluation of the applicant with the Colombian accent did not, however, differ significantly from the other two. First impressions can be heavily influenced by a similarity-attraction hypothesis where others are immediately put into "similar" or "dissimilar" categories from the viewer and judged accordingly.[21]

Physical characteristics and personality edit

Although populations from different cultures can be quick to view others as dissimilar, there are several first impression characteristics that are universal across cultures.[3] When comparing trait impressions of faces among U.S. and the culturally isolated Tsimane' people of Bolivia, there was between-culture agreement when ascribing certain physical features to descriptive traits such as attractiveness, intelligence, health, and warmth.[22] Both cultures also show a strong attractiveness halo when forming impressions, meaning that those seen as attractive were also rated as more competent, sociable, intelligent, and healthy.[22]

Physical appearance edit

Faces and features edit

Physical appearance gives clear clues as to a person's personality without them ever having to speak or move.[3][6][7][23] Women tend to be better than men at judging nonverbal behavior.[3] After viewing pictures of people in a neutral position and in a self-chosen posed position, observers were accurate at judging the target's levels of extraversion, emotional stability, openness, self-esteem, and religiosity.[7] The combined impression of physical characteristics, body posture, facial expression, and clothing choices lets observers form accurate images of a target's personality, so long as the person observed is presenting themselves genuinely.[7][2] However, there is some conflicting data in this field. Other evidence suggests that people sometimes rely too much on appearance cues over actual information.[24][25] When provided with descriptive information about a target, participants still rely on physical appearance cues when making judgments about others' personalities and capabilities. Participants struggle to look past physical appearance cues even when they know information contrary to their initial judgment.[24] Physical cues are also used to make judgments about political candidates based on extremely brief exposures to their pictures.[25] Perceived competence level of a candidate measured from first impressions of facial features can directly predict voting results.[25]

The "beautiful is good" effect is a very present phenomenon when dealing with first impressions of others.[3] Targets who are attractive are rated more positively and as possessing more unique characteristics than those who are unattractive.[26] Beauty is also found to be somewhat subjective so that even targets who are not universally attractive can receive the benefit of this effect if the observer is attracted to them.[26]

In a 2014 study, a group at the University of York reported that people's impressions of the traits of approachability, youthfulness/attractiveness and dominance correlated with facial measurements such as mouth shape and eye size.[27][28]

Apparel and cosmetics edit

Cosmetic use is also an important cue for forming impressions, particularly of women. Those wearing heavy makeup are seen as significantly more feminine than those wearing moderate makeup or no makeup and those wearing heavy or moderate makeup are seen as more attractive than those wearing no makeup.[23] While a woman wearing no makeup is perceived as being more moral than the other two conditions, there is no difference between experimental conditions when judging personality or personal temperament.[23]

First impression formation can be influenced by the use of cognitive short hands such as stereotypes and representative heuristics.[3] When asked to rate the socioeconomic status (SES) and degree of interest in friendship with African American and Caucasian female models wearing either a K-Mart, Abercrombie & Fitch, or non-logoed sweatshirt, Caucasian models were rated more favorably than the African American models.[29] Abercrombie & Fitch wearers were rated as higher SES than the other sweatshirts. Participants wanted to be friends with the Caucasian model most when she was wearing a plain sweatshirt and the African American model most when she was wearing either the plain or K-Mart sweatshirt. It is unclear why the plain sweatshirt was most associated with friendship, but the general results suggest that mismatching class and race reduced the model's friendship appeal.[29]

Specific contexts edit

Online edit

Online profiles and communication channels such as email provide fewer cues than in-person interactions, which makes targets more difficult to understand.[3] When research participants were asked to evaluate a person's facial attractiveness and perceived ambition based on an online dating profile, amount of time permitted for processing and reporting an evaluation of the target produced a difference in impression formation.[30] Spontaneous evaluations relied on physical attractiveness almost exclusively, whereas deliberate evaluations weighed both types of information. Although deliberate evaluations used the information provided on both physical attractiveness and ambition of each target, the particular impact of each kind of information appeared to depend on the consistency between the two. A significant effect of attractiveness on deliberate evaluations was found only when perceived ambition was consistent with the perceived level of attractiveness.[30] The consistency found in profiles seemed to particularly influence deliberate evaluations.

In a study of online impressions, participants who were socially expressive and disclosed a lot about themselves both on their webpages and in person were better liked than those who were less open. Social expressivity includes liveliness in voice, smiling, etc.[31]

Dating and sexuality edit

Upon seeing photographs of straight, gay, and bisexual people, participants correctly identified gay versus straight males and females at above-chance levels based solely on seeing a picture of their face, however, bisexual targets were only identified at chance. The findings suggest a straight-non straight dichotomy in the categorization of sexual orientation.[6]

The more time participants are allowed to make some judgment about a person, the more they will weigh information beyond physical appearance. Specific manipulations include identifying men as gay versus straight[32] and people as trustworthy or not.[4][12] In a study of the interaction between ratings of people in speed dating and the form of media used to present them, impression accuracy in a speed dating task was not significantly different when a potential date was presented in person versus in a video. However, impressions of dates made via video were to be much more negative than those made in person. An additional study that looked at characterization of a romantic partner suggested that people are more likely to rely on "gut reactions" when meeting in person, but there isn't sufficient information for this kind of evaluation when viewing someone online.

Professional edit

Non-verbal behaviors are particularly important to forming first impressions when meeting a business acquaintance.[33] Specifically, components of social expressivity, such as smiling, eyebrow position, emotional expression, and eye contact are emphasized.[2][31][33] Straightening one's posture, leaning in slightly, and giving a firm handshake promotes favorable impression formation in the American business context.[33] Other impression management tactics in the business world include researching the organization and interviewers beforehand, preparing specific questions for the interviewer, showing confidence, and dressing appropriately.[34]

A qualitative review of previous literature looking at self-report data suggests that men and women use impression management tactics in the corporate world that are consistent with stereotypical gender roles when presenting themselves to others.[9] This research proposes that women are put in a double bind where those who portray themselves as more communal and submissive are overlooked for leadership positions and women who try to utilize male tactics (such as being more aggressive) receive negative consequences for violating normative gender roles.[9] To change this dynamic the authors suggest that managerial positions should be re-advertised to highlight the feminine qualities needed for a position and staff training should involve a segment accentuating gender issues in the office to make everyone aware of possible discrimination.[9]

Data collected from interviews with physicians distinguishes between first impressions and intuition and contributes to understanding the occurrence of gut feelings in the medical field.[35] Gut feelings go beyond first impressions: Physicians expressed feeling doubtful about their initial impressions as they gathered more data from their patients. More experienced physicians reported more instances of gut feelings than those less experienced, but the quality of the intuition was related to the quality of feedback received during the data collection process in general. Emotional engagement enhanced learning just as it does in first impressions.[35]

Neuroscience edit

First impressions are formed within milliseconds of seeing a target. When intentionally forming a first impression, encoding relies on the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC).[36] Readings from fMRIs of research participants show that processing of diagnostic information (e.g. distinguishing features) engaged the dmPFC more than processing neutral information.[36]

Participants generally formed more negative impressions of the faces that showed a negative emotion compared to neutral faces.[37] Results suggest that the dmPFC and amygdala together play a large role in negative impression formation. When forming immediate impressions based on emotion, the stimulus can bypass the neo-cortex by way of the "amygdala hijack."[38]

Familiarity edit

Research indicates that people are efficient evaluators when forming impressions based on existing biases.[39] The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), amygdala, and the thalamus sort relevant versus irrelevant information according to these biases. The dmPFC is also involved in the impression formation process, especially with person-descriptive information.[39]

FMRI results show activation of the fusiform cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, and amygdala when individuals are asked to identify previously seen faces that were encoded as either "friends" or "foes."[40] Additionally, the caudate and anterior cingulate cortex are more activated when looking at faces of "foes" versus "friends."[40] This research suggests that quick first impressions of hostility or support from unknown people can lead to long-term effects on memory that will later be associated with that person.

Alcohol and Impressions edit

Alcohol consumption and belief of consumption influenced emotion detection in ten second clips.[41] Participants who thought they had consumed an alcoholic beverage rated one facial expression (approximately 3% of the facial expressions they saw) more in each clip as happy compared to the control group. Thus, impression formation may be affected by even the perception of alcohol consumption.[41]

Cross-cultural differences edit

There appears to be cross-cultural similarities in brain responses to first impression formations. In a mock election both American and Japanese individuals voted for the candidate that elicited a stronger response in their bilateral amygdala than those who did not, regardless of the candidate's culture.[42] Individuals also showed a stronger response to cultural outgroup faces than cultural ingroup faces because the amygdala is presumably more sensitive to novel stimuli.[42] However, this finding was unrelated to actual voting decisions.[42]

Stability edit

Once formed, first impressions tend to be stable. A review of the literature on the accuracy and impact of first impressions on rater-based assessments found that raters' first impressions are highly correlated with later scores, but it is unclear exactly why.[10] One study tested stability by asking participants to form impressions people based purely on photographs. Participants' opinions of the people in photographs did not significantly differ after interacting with that person a month later.[32] One potential reason for this stability is that one's first impressions could serve as a guide for their next steps, such as what questions are asked and how raters go about scoring. More research needs to be done on the stability of first impressions to fully understand how first impressions guide subsequent treatment, self-fulfilling prophecies, and the halo effect.[3] Assessment tools can influence impressions too, for example if a question provides only a dichotomous "yes" or "no" response or if a rater uses a scale (ratio). Although this study was conducted with the intention of improving rating methods in medical education, the literature review was sufficiently broad enough to generalize.[32]

A study published in 2023 found that while first impressions based on attractiveness are formed quickly and can lead to stereotypical attributions, these impressions are malleable and can change when new information is presented, such as learning a photo was altered.[43] This phenomenon, termed the "halo-update effect," suggests that our initial assessments of someone's personality based on their attractiveness can be revised with updated information.

See also edit

References edit

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first, impression, psychology, other, uses, first, impression, psychology, first, impression, event, when, person, first, encounters, another, person, forms, mental, image, that, person, impression, accuracy, varies, depending, observer, target, person, object. For other uses see First impression In psychology a first impression is the event when one person first encounters another person and forms a mental image of that person Impression accuracy varies depending on the observer and the target person object scene etc being observed 1 2 unreliable medical source First impressions are based on a wide range of characteristics age race culture language gender physical appearance accent posture voice number of people present economic status and time allowed to process 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 unreliable medical source The first impressions individuals give to others could greatly influence how they are treated and viewed in many contexts of everyday life 9 10 Contents 1 Speed and accuracy 2 Number of observers 3 Cultural influences 3 1 Individualism versus collectivism 3 2 Influence of media richness 3 3 Accents and speech 3 4 Physical characteristics and personality 4 Physical appearance 4 1 Faces and features 4 2 Apparel and cosmetics 5 Specific contexts 5 1 Online 5 2 Dating and sexuality 5 3 Professional 6 Neuroscience 6 1 Familiarity 6 2 Alcohol and Impressions 6 3 Cross cultural differences 7 Stability 8 See also 9 ReferencesSpeed and accuracy editIt takes just one tenth of a second for people to judge someone and make a first impression 11 Research finds that the more time participants are afforded to form the impression the more confidence in impressions they report 11 12 Not only are people quick to form first impressions they are also fairly accurate when the target presents themself genuinely People are generally not good at perceiving feigned emotions or detecting lies upon a first encounter 2 Research participants who reported forming accurate impressions of specific targets did tend to have more accurate perceptions of specific targets that aligned with others reports of the target 4 Individuals are also fairly reliable at understanding the first impression that they will project to others 13 However people are not as good at understanding how well other people like them and most people tend to underestimate how much other people like them 14 15 This phenomenon is called the liking gap 16 17 The rate at which different qualities are detected in first impressions may be linked to what has been important to survival from an evolutionary perspective 11 For example trustworthiness and attractiveness were the two traits most quickly detected and evaluated in a study of human faces 11 12 People are fairly good at assessing personality traits of others in general but there appears to be a difference in first impression judgments between older and younger adults Older adults judged young adult target photos as healthier more trustworthy and less hostile but more aggressive than younger adults did of the same photos 18 Older adults could have a lower response to negative cues due to a slower processing speed causing them to see facial features on young adults as more positive than younger adults do 18 Number of observers editOne s first impressions are affected by whether they re alone or with any number of people 5 Joint experiences are more globally processed see global precedence for more on processing as in collectivist cultures Global processing emphasizes first impressions more because the collective first impression tends to remain stable over time Solo experiences tend to facilitate local processing causing the viewer to take a more critical look at the target Thus individuals are more likely to have negative first impressions than groups of two or more viewers of the same target At the same time individuals are more likely to experience an upward trend over the course of a series of impressions e g individual viewers will like the final episode of a TV season more than the first even if it is really the same quality 5 When viewing pieces of art in an experiment participants in a solo context rated art in an improving sequence significantly higher than when the targets are presented in a declining sequence 5 When viewing the art in a joint context participants evaluated the first and last pieces similarly in both kinds of sequence Simply priming viewers to feel like they were in solo or joint contexts or to process analytically or holistically was enough to produce the same viewing effects 5 Cultural influences editIndividualism versus collectivism edit Similar to the number of viewers present collectivism versus individualism can influence impression formation 3 Collectivists are at ease as long as their impressions are largely in alignment with the larger group s impressions When a collectivist wants to change their impression they may be compelled to change the views of all group members 19 However this could be challenging for collectivists who tend to be less confrontational than individualists Individualists are willing to change their own views at will and are generally more comfortable with uncertainty which makes them naturally more willing to change their impressions 19 Influence of media richness edit There is no research regarding if national culture mediates the relationship between media richness and bias in impression formation Some studies that manipulated media richness have found that information presented in text form yields similar impressions measured by reported appraisal scores among cultures 19 while other studies found that richer forms of information such as videos reduce cross cultural bias more effectively 20 The latter findings support Media Richness Theory 20 Accents and speech edit Accents and unique speech patterns can influence how people are perceived by those to whom they are speaking For example when hypothetically interviewing an applicant with a Midwestern U S accent Colombian accent or French accent Midwestern U S participants evaluated the U S accent as significantly more positive than the applicant with the French accent due to perceived similarity to themselves 21 The evaluation of the applicant with the Colombian accent did not however differ significantly from the other two First impressions can be heavily influenced by a similarity attraction hypothesis where others are immediately put into similar or dissimilar categories from the viewer and judged accordingly 21 Physical characteristics and personality edit Although populations from different cultures can be quick to view others as dissimilar there are several first impression characteristics that are universal across cultures 3 When comparing trait impressions of faces among U S and the culturally isolated Tsimane people of Bolivia there was between culture agreement when ascribing certain physical features to descriptive traits such as attractiveness intelligence health and warmth 22 Both cultures also show a strong attractiveness halo when forming impressions meaning that those seen as attractive were also rated as more competent sociable intelligent and healthy 22 Physical appearance editFaces and features edit Physical appearance gives clear clues as to a person s personality without them ever having to speak or move 3 6 7 23 Women tend to be better than men at judging nonverbal behavior 3 After viewing pictures of people in a neutral position and in a self chosen posed position observers were accurate at judging the target s levels of extraversion emotional stability openness self esteem and religiosity 7 The combined impression of physical characteristics body posture facial expression and clothing choices lets observers form accurate images of a target s personality so long as the person observed is presenting themselves genuinely 7 2 However there is some conflicting data in this field Other evidence suggests that people sometimes rely too much on appearance cues over actual information 24 25 When provided with descriptive information about a target participants still rely on physical appearance cues when making judgments about others personalities and capabilities Participants struggle to look past physical appearance cues even when they know information contrary to their initial judgment 24 Physical cues are also used to make judgments about political candidates based on extremely brief exposures to their pictures 25 Perceived competence level of a candidate measured from first impressions of facial features can directly predict voting results 25 The beautiful is good effect is a very present phenomenon when dealing with first impressions of others 3 Targets who are attractive are rated more positively and as possessing more unique characteristics than those who are unattractive 26 Beauty is also found to be somewhat subjective so that even targets who are not universally attractive can receive the benefit of this effect if the observer is attracted to them 26 In a 2014 study a group at the University of York reported that people s impressions of the traits of approachability youthfulness attractiveness and dominance correlated with facial measurements such as mouth shape and eye size 27 28 Apparel and cosmetics edit Cosmetic use is also an important cue for forming impressions particularly of women Those wearing heavy makeup are seen as significantly more feminine than those wearing moderate makeup or no makeup and those wearing heavy or moderate makeup are seen as more attractive than those wearing no makeup 23 While a woman wearing no makeup is perceived as being more moral than the other two conditions there is no difference between experimental conditions when judging personality or personal temperament 23 First impression formation can be influenced by the use of cognitive short hands such as stereotypes and representative heuristics 3 When asked to rate the socioeconomic status SES and degree of interest in friendship with African American and Caucasian female models wearing either a K Mart Abercrombie amp Fitch or non logoed sweatshirt Caucasian models were rated more favorably than the African American models 29 Abercrombie amp Fitch wearers were rated as higher SES than the other sweatshirts Participants wanted to be friends with the Caucasian model most when she was wearing a plain sweatshirt and the African American model most when she was wearing either the plain or K Mart sweatshirt It is unclear why the plain sweatshirt was most associated with friendship but the general results suggest that mismatching class and race reduced the model s friendship appeal 29 Specific contexts editOnline edit Online profiles and communication channels such as email provide fewer cues than in person interactions which makes targets more difficult to understand 3 When research participants were asked to evaluate a person s facial attractiveness and perceived ambition based on an online dating profile amount of time permitted for processing and reporting an evaluation of the target produced a difference in impression formation 30 Spontaneous evaluations relied on physical attractiveness almost exclusively whereas deliberate evaluations weighed both types of information Although deliberate evaluations used the information provided on both physical attractiveness and ambition of each target the particular impact of each kind of information appeared to depend on the consistency between the two A significant effect of attractiveness on deliberate evaluations was found only when perceived ambition was consistent with the perceived level of attractiveness 30 The consistency found in profiles seemed to particularly influence deliberate evaluations In a study of online impressions participants who were socially expressive and disclosed a lot about themselves both on their webpages and in person were better liked than those who were less open Social expressivity includes liveliness in voice smiling etc 31 Dating and sexuality edit Upon seeing photographs of straight gay and bisexual people participants correctly identified gay versus straight males and females at above chance levels based solely on seeing a picture of their face however bisexual targets were only identified at chance The findings suggest a straight non straight dichotomy in the categorization of sexual orientation 6 The more time participants are allowed to make some judgment about a person the more they will weigh information beyond physical appearance Specific manipulations include identifying men as gay versus straight 32 and people as trustworthy or not 4 12 In a study of the interaction between ratings of people in speed dating and the form of media used to present them impression accuracy in a speed dating task was not significantly different when a potential date was presented in person versus in a video However impressions of dates made via video were to be much more negative than those made in person An additional study that looked at characterization of a romantic partner suggested that people are more likely to rely on gut reactions when meeting in person but there isn t sufficient information for this kind of evaluation when viewing someone online Professional edit Non verbal behaviors are particularly important to forming first impressions when meeting a business acquaintance 33 Specifically components of social expressivity such as smiling eyebrow position emotional expression and eye contact are emphasized 2 31 33 Straightening one s posture leaning in slightly and giving a firm handshake promotes favorable impression formation in the American business context 33 Other impression management tactics in the business world include researching the organization and interviewers beforehand preparing specific questions for the interviewer showing confidence and dressing appropriately 34 A qualitative review of previous literature looking at self report data suggests that men and women use impression management tactics in the corporate world that are consistent with stereotypical gender roles when presenting themselves to others 9 This research proposes that women are put in a double bind where those who portray themselves as more communal and submissive are overlooked for leadership positions and women who try to utilize male tactics such as being more aggressive receive negative consequences for violating normative gender roles 9 To change this dynamic the authors suggest that managerial positions should be re advertised to highlight the feminine qualities needed for a position and staff training should involve a segment accentuating gender issues in the office to make everyone aware of possible discrimination 9 Data collected from interviews with physicians distinguishes between first impressions and intuition and contributes to understanding the occurrence of gut feelings in the medical field 35 Gut feelings go beyond first impressions Physicians expressed feeling doubtful about their initial impressions as they gathered more data from their patients More experienced physicians reported more instances of gut feelings than those less experienced but the quality of the intuition was related to the quality of feedback received during the data collection process in general Emotional engagement enhanced learning just as it does in first impressions 35 Neuroscience editFirst impressions are formed within milliseconds of seeing a target When intentionally forming a first impression encoding relies on the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex dmPFC 36 Readings from fMRIs of research participants show that processing of diagnostic information e g distinguishing features engaged the dmPFC more than processing neutral information 36 Participants generally formed more negative impressions of the faces that showed a negative emotion compared to neutral faces 37 Results suggest that the dmPFC and amygdala together play a large role in negative impression formation When forming immediate impressions based on emotion the stimulus can bypass the neo cortex by way of the amygdala hijack 38 Familiarity edit Research indicates that people are efficient evaluators when forming impressions based on existing biases 39 The posterior cingulate cortex PCC amygdala and the thalamus sort relevant versus irrelevant information according to these biases The dmPFC is also involved in the impression formation process especially with person descriptive information 39 FMRI results show activation of the fusiform cortex posterior cingulate gyrus and amygdala when individuals are asked to identify previously seen faces that were encoded as either friends or foes 40 Additionally the caudate and anterior cingulate cortex are more activated when looking at faces of foes versus friends 40 This research suggests that quick first impressions of hostility or support from unknown people can lead to long term effects on memory that will later be associated with that person Alcohol and Impressions edit Alcohol consumption and belief of consumption influenced emotion detection in ten second clips 41 Participants who thought they had consumed an alcoholic beverage rated one facial expression approximately 3 of the facial expressions they saw more in each clip as happy compared to the control group Thus impression formation may be affected by even the perception of alcohol consumption 41 Cross cultural differences edit There appears to be cross cultural similarities in brain responses to first impression formations In a mock election both American and Japanese individuals voted for the candidate that elicited a stronger response in their bilateral amygdala than those who did not regardless of the candidate s culture 42 Individuals also showed a stronger response to cultural outgroup faces than cultural ingroup faces because the amygdala is presumably more sensitive to novel stimuli 42 However this finding was unrelated to actual voting decisions 42 Stability editOnce formed first impressions tend to be stable A review of the literature on the accuracy and impact of first impressions on rater based assessments found that raters first impressions are highly correlated with later scores but it is unclear exactly why 10 One study tested stability by asking participants to form impressions people based purely on photographs Participants opinions of the people in photographs did not significantly differ after interacting with that person a month later 32 One potential reason for this stability is that one s first impressions could serve as a guide for their next steps such as what questions are asked and how raters go about scoring More research needs to be done on the stability of first impressions to fully understand how first impressions guide subsequent treatment self fulfilling prophecies and the halo effect 3 Assessment tools can influence impressions too for example if a question provides only a dichotomous yes or no response or if a rater uses a scale ratio Although this study was conducted with the intention of improving rating methods in medical education the literature review was sufficiently broad enough to generalize 32 A study published in 2023 found that while first impressions based on attractiveness are formed quickly and can lead to stereotypical attributions these impressions are malleable and can change when new information is presented such as learning a photo was altered 43 This phenomenon termed the halo update effect suggests that our initial assessments of someone s personality based on their attractiveness can be revised with updated information See also editImpression formation Thin slicing Samskara Indian philosophy SaṅkharaReferences edit a b Mackie Eliot R Smith Diane M 2007 Social psychology 3rd ed Hove Psychology Press ISBN 978 1841694092 Retrieved 8 May 2014 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c d Flora Carlin The First Impression Psychology Today Archived from the original on 2011 02 01 Retrieved 2011 02 20 a b c d e f g h i Aronson Elliot Robin M Akert Timothy D Wilson 2007 Social psychology 6th ed Upper Saddle River NJ Pearson Prentice Hall ISBN 978 0132382458 Archived from the original on May 11 2015 Retrieved May 8 2014 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c Biesanz J C Human L J Paquin A Chan M Parisotto K L Sarracino J Gillis R L 2011 Do we know when our impressions of others are valid evidence for realistic accuracy awareness in first impressions of personality Social Psychological and Personality Science 2 5 452 459 doi 10 1177 1948550610397211 S2CID 146223671 a b c d e Bhargrave R Montgomery N V 2013 The social context of temporal sequences Why first impressions shape shared experiences Journal of Consumer Research 40 3 501 517 doi 10 1086 671053 hdl 10044 1 39098 a b c Ding Jonathan Y C Rule Nicholas O 12 January 2012 Gay Straight or Somewhere in Between Accuracy and Bias in the Perception of Bisexual Faces PDF Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 36 2 165 176 doi 10 1007 s10919 011 0129 y hdl 1807 33150 S2CID 3853200 a b c d Naumann L P Vazire S Rentfrow P J Gosling S D 17 September 2009 Personality Judgments Based on Physical Appearance Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 35 12 1661 1671 doi 10 1177 0146167209346309 PMID 19762717 S2CID 1645636 Trudeau M 5 May 2014 You Had Me At Hello The Science Behind First Impressions NPR Retrieved 6 May 2014 a b c d Guadagno Rosanna E Cialdini Robert B 21 March 2007 Gender Differences in Impression Management in Organizations A Qualitative Review Sex Roles 56 7 8 483 494 doi 10 1007 s11199 007 9187 3 S2CID 144197017 a b Wood T J August 2014 Exploring the role of first impressions in rater based assessments Advances in Health Sciences Education 19 3 409 427 doi 10 1007 s10459 013 9453 9 PMID 23529821 S2CID 25588267 a b c d Willis J Todorov A 2006 First impressions Making up your mind after 100 ms exposure to a face PDF Psychological Science 17 7 592 598 doi 10 1111 j 1467 9280 2006 01750 x PMID 16866745 S2CID 5705259 Archived from the original PDF on 15 July 2014 Retrieved 17 May 2014 a b c Wargo E 2006 How many seconds to a first impression The Observer 19 Carlson E N Furr R M Vazire S 1 January 2010 Do We Know the First Impressions We Make Evidence for Idiographic Meta Accuracy and Calibration of First Impressions Social Psychological and Personality Science 1 1 94 98 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 642 3017 doi 10 1177 1948550609356028 S2CID 15172376 Boothby Erica J Cooney Gus Sandstrom Gillian M Clark Margaret S 2018 The Liking Gap in Conversations Do People Like Us More Than We Think SAGE Journals Vol 29 no 11 pp 1742 1756 doi 10 1177 0956797618783714 Emma Young 2018 09 24 The liking gap we tend to underestimate the positive first impression we make on strangers Research Digest The British psychological society Archived from the original on 2022 02 15 Retrieved 12 November 2019 Bharanidharan Sadhana Sep 11 2018 Nervous About First Impressions You May Underestimate How Much People Like You Medical Daily Liking Gap Might Stand in Way of New Friendships US News a b Zebrowitz Leslie A Franklin Robert G Hillman Suzanne Boc Henry 2013 Older and younger adults first impressions from faces Similar in agreement but different in positivity Psychology and Aging 28 1 202 212 doi 10 1037 a0030927 PMC 3968687 PMID 23276216 a b c Fang X Rajkumar T M 2013 The Role of National Culture and Multimedia on First Impression Bias Reduction An Experimental Study in US and China IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 56 4 354 371 doi 10 1109 TPC 2013 2251503 S2CID 24264812 a b Lim K H Benbasat I Ward L M 2000 The role of multimedia in changing first impression bias Information Systems Research 11 2 115 136 doi 10 1287 isre 11 2 115 11776 a b Deprez Sims Anne Sophie Morris Scott B 2010 Accents in the workplace Their effects during a job interview International Journal of Psychology 45 6 417 426 doi 10 1080 00207594 2010 499950 PMID 22044081 a b Zebrowitz L A Wang R Bronstad P M Eisenberg D Undurraga E Reyes Garcia V Godoy R 19 December 2011 First Impressions From Faces Among U S and Culturally Isolated Tsimane People in the Bolivian Rainforest Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology 43 1 119 134 doi 10 1177 0022022111411386 S2CID 146384469 a b c Workman J E Johnson K K P 1 September 1991 The Role of Cosmetics in Impression Formation Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 10 1 63 67 doi 10 1177 0887302X9101000109 S2CID 144906699 a b Olivola Christopher Y Todorov Alexander 2010 Fooled by first impressions Reexamining the diagnostic value of appearance based inferences PDF Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 46 2 315 324 doi 10 1016 j jesp 2009 12 002 S2CID 406551 a b c Todorov A 10 June 2005 Inferences of Competence from Faces Predict Election Outcomes Science 308 5728 1623 1626 Bibcode 2005Sci 308 1623T doi 10 1126 science 1110589 PMID 15947187 S2CID 15652607 a b Lorenzo G L Biesanz J C Human L J 4 November 2010 What Is Beautiful Is Good and More Accurately Understood Physical Attractiveness and Accuracy in First Impressions of Personality Psychological Science 21 12 1777 1782 doi 10 1177 0956797610388048 PMID 21051521 S2CID 12066448 First impressions connected to facial features CNN com Edition cnn com 29 July 2014 Retrieved 1 August 2014 Vernon R J W Sutherland C A M Young A W Hartley T 2014 07 28 Modeling first impressions from highly variable facial images Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 32 E3353 E3361 Bibcode 2014PNAS 111E3353V doi 10 1073 pnas 1409860111 PMC 4136614 PMID 25071197 a b McDermott L Pettijohn T 2011 The influence of clothing fashion and race on the perceived socioeconomic status and person perception of college students Psychology amp Society 4 64 75 a b Sritharan R Heilpern K Wilbur C J Gawronski B 2010 I think I like you Spontaneous and deliberate evaluations of potential romantic partners in an online dating context European Journal of Social Psychology 40 6 1062 1077 doi 10 1002 ejsp 703 a b Weisbuch M Ivcevic Z Ambady N 2009 On being liked on the web and in the real world Consistency in first impressions across personal web pages and spontaneous behavior Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 45 3 573 576 doi 10 1016 j jesp 2008 12 009 PMC 2674641 PMID 20161314 a b c Wood J 2014 02 15 The Power of a First Impression Psych Central Retrieved 6 May 2014 a b c Goman Carol Kinsey 2008 The nonverbal advantage secrets and science of body language at work Online Ausg ed San Francisco Calif Berrett Koehler Publishers ISBN 978 1576754924 Rowh Mark First Impressions Count American Psychological Association Retrieved 18 April 2014 a b Woolley A Kostopoulou O 2013 Clinical intuition in family medicine More than first impressions Annals of Family Medicine 11 1 60 66 doi 10 1370 afm 1433 PMC 3596024 PMID 23319507 a b Gilron R Gutchess A H 2012 Remembering first impressions Effects of intentionality and diagnosticity on subsequent memory Cognitive Affective amp Behavioral Neuroscience 12 1 85 98 doi 10 3758 s13415 011 0074 6 PMC 3267862 PMID 22139633 Iidaka T Harada T Sadato N 2011 Forming a negative impression of another person correlates with activation in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 6 4 516 525 doi 10 1093 scan nsq072 PMC 3150861 PMID 20693390 Goleman Daniel 1999 Working with Emotional Intelligence p 87 a b Schiller D Freeman J B Mitchell J P Uleman J S Phelps E A 2009 A neural mechanism of first impressions Nature Neuroscience 12 4 508 514 doi 10 1038 nn 2278 PMID 19270690 S2CID 546583 a b Vrticka Pascal Andersson Frederic Sander David Vuilleumier Patrik 2009 Memory for friends or foes The social context of past encounters with faces modulates their subsequent neural traces in the brain Social Neuroscience 4 5 384 401 doi 10 1080 17470910902941793 PMID 19637101 S2CID 107061 a b Walter N Mutic S Markett S Montag C Klein A Reuter M 2011 The Influence of Alcohol Intake and Alcohol Expectations on the Recognition of Emotions Alcohol and Alcoholism 46 6 680 685 doi 10 1093 alcalc agr082 PMID 21749998 a b c Rule N O Freeman J B Moran J M Gabrieli J D E Adams R B Ambady N 5 December 2009 Voting behavior is reflected in amygdala response across cultures Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 5 2 3 349 355 doi 10 1093 scan nsp046 PMC 2894678 PMID 19966327 Reporter Pandora Dewan Science 2024 01 15 Psychologists debunk common myth about first impressions Newsweek Retrieved 2024 01 19 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title First impression psychology amp oldid 1218836930, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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