Who Likes Extraverts? Testing the Interplay Between Perceiver Needs and Target Appearance in Impression Formation

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Person Perception
• Individual Differences

Background:

• Understanding how individual differences shape social perception is crucial.
• Previous research suggests perceivers' needs and motivations influence impression formation.
• Specifically, perceivers may favor targets who seem to fulfill their needs (e.g., affiliation).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between specific individual difference variables and impression formation.
• To replicate and extend previous findings on perceiver differences in social perception.
• To examine if affiliative needs, pathogen concern, or sociosexual orientation predict likeability impressions of perceived extraversion.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two preregistered replication studies (N = 273 and N = 367).
• Utilized original and additional stimulus sets with improved study designs.
• Assessed individual differences in affiliative needs, pathogen concern, and sociosexual orientation.

Main Results:

• No significant association was found between the examined individual differences and likeability impressions.
• Perceived extraversion did not mediate the relationship between these individual differences and likeability.
• Bayesian analyses confirmed the absence of a significant effect.

Conclusions:

• Individual differences in affiliative needs, pathogen concern, and sociosexual orientation do not appear to influence likeability judgments of perceived extraversion.
• The findings challenge existing assumptions about the role of specific individual differences in impression formation.
• Additional research is necessary to fully elucidate the complex interplay between individual differences and social perception.