TRAIT-VERSUS PROCESS-FOCUSED SOCIAL JUDGMENT

In this article, we show how people's implicit theories about the natu re of human attributes predict trait-vs. process-focused social judgme nts. We present research demonstrating that those who conceive of huma n attributes as fixed entities (entity theorists) tend to infer global traits more readily and strongly from behavior and to see these trait s as explanations for behavior. In contrast, those who conceive of att ributes as malleable or increasable qualities (incremental theorists) are more likely to focus on more specific mediating processes (goals, needs, emotion states). Entity and incremental theorists' differential focus on traits versus processes in understanding their social world also fosters different reactions to the same social information. Findi ngs are presented across intellectual, moral, and social domains and i n terms of self-perception, perception of individual others, and perce ption of groups. Broader implications for research on social perceptio n are discussed.