When does the forgetting of trait-implying behaviors affect subsequent person impressions?

Previous research shows that being directed to forget (or remember) trait-implying behaviors immediately after encoding impairs memory for behaviors but not inferred character traits, as measured by the false recognition paradigm. We reassessed this finding using a more diverse set of faces, newly piloted behaviors and traits, and a different trait-inference measure - the savings in relearning paradigm (Experiment 1). After encoding faces with trait-implying behaviors, each followed by remember or forget instructions, participants learned face-trait word pairs in which traits were either consistent or inconsistent with the encoded behavior. Participants recalled more consistent than inconsistent trait words, confirming spontaneous trait inferences during behavior encoding. This effect was resistant to forget instructions, replicating previous findings while addressing limitations of the false recognition paradigm. Experiment 2 replicated impaired recall for forget-cued behaviors using our new materials. Experiment 3 further examined the impact of forget instructions on impression formation and use, specifically whether they influence future behavior predictions. Results showed that directing participants to forget (or remember) trait-implying behaviors reduced expectations of future trait-consistent behaviors and increased openness to trait-inconsistent behaviors. This is the first study to demonstrate that directed forgetting can alter expectations about others, indicating that reduced memory accessibility, whether of impressions or original behaviors, can promote greater flexibility in social judgments. These findings inform theories of directed forgetting and impression formation and have practical implications for contexts where forgetting is both warranted and beneficial.