Multidimensional models of social perception, cognition, and behavior

Abstract

A common assumption of social psychological theories is that interpersonal behavior is mediated by structured cognitive representations of self and others, interaction episodes, interpersonal roles and relationships, group goals and tasks, as well as more general social environments and situations. A second basic theoretical assumption is that both individual adjustment and group effectiveness depend on some degree of consensus and stability in conceptions of these domains; thus, investigation of communalities and differences in perception and structuring of social stimuli is an important prerequisite for prediction of both individual differences and intraindividual consistency in social behavior. The present paper reviews theoretical, empirical and methodological work that is relevant to these issues, with an emphasis on research that has employed multidimensional scaling, clustering techniques, and related multivariate methods to investigate problems in social cognition. Work in three major areas is reviewed : (1) interpersonal perception and attraction in intact groups; (2) perception of political and fictional figures; and (3) perception of social roles, relationships, and situations. For each area, one or more exemplary studies are discussed, related work is cited, and relevant theoretical and methodological issues are raised.