A Room With a Cue: Personality Judgments Based on Offices and Bedrooms
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Transcript of A Room With a Cue: Personality Judgments Based on Offices and Bedrooms
A Room With a Cue:A Room With a Cue:Personality Judgments Based on Personality Judgments Based on Offices and BedroomsOffices and Bedrooms
Samuel D. Gosling and Sei Jin Ko, University of Texas at AustinThomas Mannarelli, INSEADMargaret E. Morris, Sapient
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002
IntroductionIntroduction Individuals select and craft physical environments that reflect and reinforce who they are. Observers use the information available in everyday environments to form impressions of what the occupants of those environments are like.
Brunswik’s Lens Model Brunswik’s Lens Model (1956)(1956)
Mechanisms Linking Mechanisms Linking Individuals to the Individuals to the Environments They InhabitEnvironments They InhabitIdentity claims:
◦ Self-directed: People choose decorations that fit their own personal taste and aesthetic
◦ Other-directed: Displaying symbols to make statements to others
Conceptually distinct motivations
Mechanisms Linking Mechanisms Linking Individuals to the Individuals to the Environments They InhabitEnvironments They InhabitBehavioral residue:
◦ Interior: Physical traces of activities conducted in the environment
◦ Exterior: Physical traces of activities conducted outside the environment
These four mechanisms can be interlinked
Mechanisms Linking Mechanisms Linking Individuals to the Individuals to the Environments They InhabitEnvironments They Inhabit
The Five Factor ModelThe Five Factor Model Openness to Experience: Creative, imaginative,
abstract, curios, inventive, deep thinkers, value art NOT convectional, concrete, traditional.
Conscientiousness: Efficient, organized, thorough dependable, hardworking NOT reckless, disorganized, careless and impulsive.
Extraversion: Talkative, enthusiastic, energetic, outgoing, assertive, sociable NOT reserved, quiet, shy.
Agreeableness: Helpful, selfless, forgiving, trusting, sympathetic, considerate, kind, affectionate NOT blunt, quarrelsome, critical, harsh
Emotional Stability: Calm, relaxed, able to handle stress NOT easily upset, tense, moody, and anxious
The Five Factor ModelThe Five Factor Model Openness to Experience: (8+Q5-
Q10)/2Averages: Male – 5.39 Female – 5.45
Conscientiousness: (8+Q3-Q8)/2Averages: Male – 5.27 Female – 5.56
Extraversion: (8+Q1-Q6)/2Averages: Male – 4.30 Female – 4.68
Agreeableness: (8+Q7-Q2)/2Averages: Male – 5.05 Female – 5.36
Emotional Stability: (8+Q9-Q4)/2Averages: Male – 5.27 Female – 4.65
Research GoalsResearch GoalsThe primary aim was to document:Evidence for observer accuracyLinks between occupants and the physical features of their personal environments (i.e., cue validity)Links between the physical features and observers’ impressions of occupants (i.e., cue utilization)Stereotype use
Research StepsResearch StepsExamining inter-observer agreementTesting the accuracy of the
observationsExploring cue utilization and cue
validityUnderstanding the role of stereotypes
Issues were addressed in bedrooms and offices
Question 1: ConsensusQuestion 1: ConsensusDo observers agree about Individuals’ personalities on the basis of their personal environments?
According to past zero-acquaintance studies, observer consensus is not equally strong for all traits (Extraversion consensus > Agreeableness consensus). We expect that physical spaces would provide observers with more information about some traits than about others, thus increasing the consensus regarding these traits
Question 2: AccuracyQuestion 2: Accuracy
Are observers’ impressions correct?
Previous zero-acquaintance studies showed observer judgments had some correlation with self reports Since personal environments are richer in information than are zero-acquaintance contexts we expected significant accuracy correlations for observer judgments
Question 3: Cue Utilization and Question 3: Cue Utilization and Cue ValidityCue Validity
Which cues in personal environments do observers use to form their impressions, and which cues are valid?
Coded features of the environments were correlated with:
◦ Observer judgments (cue utilization)◦ Criterion measures (cue validity)
Question 4: Question 4: Stereotype Stereotype UseUse
How do stereotypes used by observers affect consensus and accuracy?
Do observers rate differently occupants they believe to belong to a given social category (e.g., female, white)? Consensus will increase if observers hold and use the same stereotypes Stereotypes are sometimes true…
Design of the StudiesDesign of the StudiesWe examined the above four questions in offices and bedrooms, settings that may facilitate the accumulation of behavioral residue and permit other forms of self-expression.
Study 1: Office spacesStudy 2: Apartment rooms and dorm rooms
Observer JudgmentsObserver Judgments The observers were untrained undergraduate students. The observers were unacquainted with the participants and did not discuss their ratings with one another. All photos of occupants and reference to occupants’ names were covered We obtained consensus estimates by computing the mean correlation among the observers’ ratings.
Accuracy CriteriaAccuracy Criteria Self-ratings from occupants and peer ratings from the occupants’ close acquaintances were obtained. Accuracy estimates were obtained by correlating the observers’ ratings with the combined self- and peer ratings. On average, the self ratings had 0.4-0.53 correlation with peer ratings. Peer ratings had 0.75-0.9 correlation
Environmental CuesEnvironmental Cues A separate team of coders examined and recorded the features of each room. Cue utilization and cue validity estimates were obtained by correlating these codings. Vector correlations between the cue-utilization correlations and the cue-validity correlations were computed.
Sex and Race of Sex and Race of OccupantsOccupants
Observer estimates of the sex and race of occupants were used to assess the mediational role of sex and race stereotypes on interobserver consensus and accuracy.
Results – Study 1 - OfficesResults – Study 1 - Offices Some traits are assessed more accurately than others High vector correlations usually means higher accuracy and consensus
Offices Results - OpennessOffices Results - Openness
GOOD CUESBAD CUESMISUSED CUESMISSED CUES
Offices Results - Offices Results - ConscientiousnessConscientiousness
Offices Results - Offices Results - AgreeablenessAgreeableness
Offices Results - Offices Results - ContinuedContinuedExtraversion:
◦Good (but overrated) cues - decorated, cheerful, inviting, colorful, distinctive etc.
Emotional stability: ◦Misused cues: Inviting, organized,
comfortable, good condition etc.◦Underused cues: formal, modern,
undecorated, unvaried books/CDs/magazines, indistinctive
Results – Study 2 - Results – Study 2 - BedroomsBedrooms
Results - BedroomsResults - BedroomsObservers usually use similar
cues for offices and bedrooms
Results - BedroomsResults - BedroomsOpenness and Conscientiousness
have similar cues in offices and bedrooms.
Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability have few distinctive cues.
Bedrooms Results – Bedrooms Results – Emotional StabilityEmotional Stability
Comparison with Previous Comparison with Previous ResearchResearchConsensus:
Comparison with Previous Comparison with Previous ResearchResearchAccuracy:
Accuracy correlations are usually higher in bedrooms than in offices◦College students are particularly prone to
self expression◦Observers are also college students◦Office décor is often restricted by
guidelines◦Individuals in offices are often concerned
about projecting a positive image◦Bedrooms are richer environments than
offices
Results - Offices/Bedrooms Results - Offices/Bedrooms comparisoncomparison
Results- stereotypesResults- stereotypesStereotypes did affect the
observers!
LimitationsLimitationsOccupants may have tidied or
altered their rooms before the assessment team arrived
Occupants may craft their environment to project specific impressions that they deem desirable
A limited set of cues was used
ConclusionConclusion
The research provides strong support for the assumption underlying this test: much can be learned about people from the spaces in which they dwell
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