IMPRESSION-FORMATION IN CHILDREN - INFLUENCE OF GENDER AND EXPECTANCY

The effect of expectancy-congruent and -incongruent information on sub sequent impression formation and recall of a target peer was examined. 64 boys and 50 girls (ages 8 to 12) were given an expectancy that a s timulus child was either shy or outgoing. Subjects rated the target on several dimensions (e.g., friendly, shy) and then watched a videotape of a boy or girl confederate acting out a script containing both expe ctancy-congruent and -incongruent information. Subjects then rated the target child again and freely recalled as much of what the target sai d as they could remember. Results revealed that when children are pres ented with both expectancy-congruent and -incongruent information, imp ression formation appears largely attribute based, and the influence o f the initial expectancy appears mitigated. However, ratings of liking appeared to be more influenced by the initial expectancy than by subs equent behavioral information. In addition, the results indicated that many of Maccoby's conclusions regarding the effects of gender on soci al interactions also apply to children's social information processing , indicating a strong bias toward same-sex peers.