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Abstract

The present study tests the hypothesis that emotional judgments are more influenced by the comparative information provided by similar others than by dissimilar others. Male Ss heard 2 accomplices evaluate a series of 10 slides depicting nude females and details from paintings by Bosch and were given the task of publicly offering their own evaluations. Similarity between Ss and accomplices was manipulated through the attire of the accomplices and through bogus scores on a fake artist subscale of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. The results show that only evaluations of the nude slides were significantly influenced by the similar accomplice. Similar others may be less influential as evaluative concerns become less emotional (personal) and more cognitive (impersonal).

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Similarity as Determinant of Social Influence in Affective Judgments

Abstract

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