A Question of Compensation: The Social Life of the Fundamental Dimensions of Social Perception

This research examines the impact of the compensation effect between the fundamental dimension,., of warmth and competence on behavioral confirmation. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with 2-groups that varied on 1 of the 2 dimensions and asked to select the questions that they wanted to pose to learn more about the groups. Participants preferred to ask negative (positive) questions about the unmanipulated dimension to the high (low) group. In Experiment 2, participants rated the 2 groups on the basis of naive people answers to those questions. As predicted, compensation emerged. Experiment 3 involved interactions among 3 participants, 1 interviewing the other 2 using the questions selected in Experiment 1. Ratings of targets' reactions again showed compensation.