CHOOSING TO SEVER OR MAINTAIN ASSOCIATION INDUCES BIASED IMPRESSION-FORMATION

Impression formation should be biased in individuals who decide to mai ntain or sever association because they desire to form impressions tha t support their decision. Because such individuals also should wish to appear objective, decision-supporting information should be irrelevan t to obvious reasons for the decision (e.g., a target's social stigma) . Accepting the veracity of the target's stereotype-irrelevant attribu tes supports the decision and also can seem objective, although such p rocessing is biased. In 2 experiments, participants were induced to ch oose or were assigned to maintain or sever association with an alleged fellow participant. Participants who chose to maintain or sever assoc iation used biased processes. In the 2nd experiment, the effect of cho ice on participants' communicated impressions was mediated by biased p rocesses. The relation of this work to dissonance theory and implicati ons for prejudice are discussed.