Effects of perceived sophistication and test validity on acceptance of generalized feedback

Forty-eight undergraduate females completed a psychological test after they had received instructions that concerned the validity of the test and their sophistication as test takers. Subjects were told that the test was either valuable or worthless in assessing personalities. Subjects also were told that they were either experienced or naive with regard to tests and psychology. Subjects received identical Barnum interpretations, which they rated for accuracy. While the high sophistication subjects rated the interpretation as accurate across validity conditions, the low sophistication subjects rated the interpretation according to the validity instructions they received. These results run counter to previous assertions that validity and sophistication have little or no effect on acceptance of generalized personality feedback.