SIMULTANEOUS ASSIMILATION AND CONTRAST EFFECTS IN JUDGMENTS OF SELF AND OTHERS

Judgments of self and referent others tend to be positively related, a s evident in the false consensus effect, but others may also be contra sted from the self, as noted in the false uniqueness literature. In 3 studies that examined the domains of attitudes and traits, evidence of both assimilative and contrastive associations between self- and othe r-judgments were noted, depending on the form of judgment (objective v s. subjective) and the relevant judgment scale anchor (self vs. others ). When self-judgments were made first, objective appraisals of refere nce groups were contrasted from subjective self-appraisals (after cont rolling for individual differences in participants' behavioral reports ). When judgments of others were made first, objective self-ratings we re contrasted from subjective other-judgments. Implications for the fa lse consensus literature and the shifting standards model (M. Biernat, M. Manis, & T.E. Nelson, 1991) are discussed.