WHAT THE DISINTERESTED PERCEIVER OVERLOOKS - GOAL-DIRECTED SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION

Previous research has suggested that initial categorization of a targe t is a rapid, automatic process that occurs relatively independently o f attentional and motivational factors. Further processing requires bo th perceiver interest in the target and sufficient attentional resourc es. The present study investigated the effects of information-processi ng goals on the categorization process. With one of three information- processing goals in place-accountability to a third party, estimation of the target's height of inspection of the videotape clarity-subjects watched a videotape of a businesswoman. Target categorization was mea sured using a lexical decision task. The results demonstrated that whe reas subjects in all conditions categorized the target at a superordin ate level (i.e., woman), accountable subjects also categorized the tar get at a more differentiated subtype level (i.e., businesswoman). The authors consider these findings in the context of contemporary model o f stereotyping and impression formation.