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People as resources: Exploring the functionality of warm and cold
Author(s) -
Scholer Abigail A.,
Higgins E. Tory
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.509
Subject(s) - psychology , impression formation , interpersonal communication , social psychology , perception , interpersonal perception , resource (disambiguation) , interpersonal relationship , competence (human resources) , impression management , social perception , computer science , computer network , neuroscience
We propose a motivational model of impression formation— people as resources —as a way to understand what information perceivers seek in their interpersonal world. Prior work has established that the warm –c old dimension is fundamental to impression formation. Building on other functional approaches, we suggest that the attributes warm and cold are important because they predict the direction of target resource use in interpersonal relationships—whether a person's valued resources are likely (warm) or unlikely (cold) to be used for the benefit of the perceiver. In two studies, the warmth or coldness of a target influenced impressions more when the target did versus did not possess a valued resource. This effect was replicated across two studies using two different types of resources—competence (Study 1) and a material resource (Study 2). Implications of the model for understanding the motivations that underlie social perception are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.