Inferring traits from behaviors versus behaviors from traits: the induction-deduction asymmetry

It is argued that inductive inferences from behaviors to traits are perform ed more frequently than deductive inferences from traits to behaviors-a phe nomenon referred to as the induction-deduction asymmetry. Two experiments a re reported in which behavior-to-trait inferences and trait-to-behavior inf erences were compared within the same paradigm: Participants learned a seri es of descriptions of a target person, half of which were presented in trai t form, half in behavior form. A subsequent recognition task was constructe d so that some of the items (traits and behaviors) had actually been seen, some were entirely new, and some were new but had been implied by the infor mation given. The 2 experiments provide clear evidence for the hypothesis t hat traits implied by a behavior are more frequently misidentified as alrea dy seen than behaviors implied by a trait. Response-time data in Experiment 2 further suggest that inferences from behaviors to traits are made on-lin e, whereas inferences from traits to behaviors appear to be memory based.