An Assimilative Effect of Stimulus Co-Occurrence on Evaluation Despite Contrasting Relational Information

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Attitude Formation

Background:

• The evaluative conditioning literature demonstrates that neutral stimuli acquire valence from associated affective stimuli.
• It remains debated whether this assimilative effect persists when the co-occurrence is understood as an opposition relation (e.g., hero stopping villain).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the assimilative effect of co-occurrence occurs despite comprehension of an opposition relation.
• To determine if this effect is obscured by a contrast effect, as previously suggested.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted with 802 participants.
• Participants evaluated stimuli paired with positive or negative events, understanding the pairing involved an opposition relation.

Main Results:

• Participants consistently preferred stimuli that stopped positive events over those that stopped negative events.
• This preference demonstrated an assimilative effect, indicating that the neutral stimulus's evaluation shifted toward the affective stimulus's valence.
• The assimilative effect was observed clearly, without being obscured by a contrast effect.

Conclusions:

• The assimilative effect of co-occurrence is robust and not limited to situations implying valence similarity.
• Comprehending an opposition relation does not necessarily negate or reverse the evaluative impact of co-occurrence.
• This suggests the assimilative effect of co-occurrence may be a more ubiquitous psychological phenomenon.