Dispelling negative expectancies: The impact of interaction goals and target characteristics on the expectancy confirmation process

Abstract

The present study examined the impact of the interaction goals of perceivers and the characteristics of targets of a negative expectancy on the expectancy confirmation process. Perceivers were led to expect that their future interaction partner might have difficulty performing well under pressure. Perceivers were also placed in an interaction setting that made one of two interaction goals relevant: whereas some were encouraged to consider the partner as a possible teammate for a cooperative game; others were encouraged to have a casual conversation. Orthogonal to the interaction manipulation, subjects interacted with a target whose expectancy-relevant characteristics, if discovered during the interaction, could either support or refute the expectancy. Results indicated that the interaction goals perceivers inferred from the interaction setting influenced the extent to which they probed for information relevant to their negative expectancies. Their search strategies influenced what they discovered about the target, and these strategy-dependent discoveries, in turn, shaped their final impressions of the target. From this we argue that both the interaction goals of the perceivers and the characteristics of the targets of a negative expectancy are critical determinants of the fate of negative expectancies.