Accuracy of Personality and Social Judgments as Functions of Familiarity

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between degree of familiarity with another person (intimate, casual, or nonacquaintance) and ability to make accurate social and personality predictions of that person's behavior. 3 groups of 32 male-female dyads completed either a Q- or free-sort personality judgments task and a social judgments questionnaire twice for (a) self-description and (b) prediction of dyad partner. Mean accuracy scores on both judging tasks indicated that familiarity leads to increased predictive accuracy. The results were interpreted as due to valid behavioral observations and attenuation of emotional bias arising from increased familiarity. The obtained relative superiority of free- over Q-sort accuracy scores was explained in terms of the absence of restrictions placed on the judging behavior of free-sort Ss.