TARGET COMPLICITY IN THE CONFIRMATION AND DISCONFIRMATION OF ERRONEOUS PERCEIVER EXPECTATIONS - IMMEDIATE AND LONGER TERM IMPLICATIONS

The authors explored the role of target self-presentational goals in t he expectation confirmation process within the context of simulated em ployment interviews. As predicted, applicants encouraged to be deferen tial inadvertently succumbed to their interviewers' expectations; appl icants encouraged to be challenging, to advance their own agenda, did not. The challenging-motivated applicants succeeded in disconfirming n egative expectations by presenting favorable information about themsel ves even in the face of negatively constraining interviewer questions; other theoretically relevant behaviors were not supported as mediator s. Of added interest. the self-fulfilling prophecies observed for the deference-motivated applicants carried over to a 2nd interview because of changes in applicant self-perceptions following the 1st interview.