Question

Solomon Asch (1946) gave participants in his study a list of characteristics about a person they never met. One group read a list indicating the person was intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious. The second group read the same list in reverse order (i.e., envious, stubborn, critical, etc.). What was the outcome of this study

Answer 1

The options available are:

a. Both groups formed positive impressions of the person.

b. Both groups formed negative impressions of the person.

c. The group who read the list starting with positive characteristics (i.e., intelligent, industrious, etc.) rated their person more positively than the group who read the list starting with the negative characteristics.

d. The group who read the list starting with positive characteristics (i.e., intelligent, industrious, etc.) rated their person more negatively than the group who read the list starting with the negative characteristics.

Answer:

C. The group who read the list starting with positive characteristics (i.e., intelligent, industrious, etc.) rated their person more positively than the group who read the list starting with the negative characteristics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on Primacy effect, which is a form of cognitive bias, that let people recall specifically the start of listed information better than the ones at the middle or end.

Hence, this made the group who read the list starting with positive characteristics (i.e., intelligent, industrious, etc.) rated their person more positively than the group who read the list starting with the negative characteristics.