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Spontaneous Inferences, Implicit Impressions, and Implicit Theories

2007; Annual Reviews; Volume: 59; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093707

1545-2085

James S. Uleman, S. Adil Sarıbay, Celia M. Gonzalez,

Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

People make social inferences without intentions, awareness, or effort, i.e., spontaneously. We review recent findings on spontaneous social inferences (especially traits, goals, and causes) and closely related phenomena. We then describe current thinking on some of the most relevant processes, implicit knowledge, and theories. These include automatic and controlled processes and their interplay; embodied cognition, including mimicry; and associative versus rule-based processes. Implicit knowledge includes adult folk theories, conditions of personhood, self-knowledge to simulate others, and cultural and social class differences. Implicit theories concern Bayesian networks, recent attribution research, and questions about the utility of the disposition-situation dichotomy. Developmental research provides new insights. Spontaneous social inferences include a growing array of phenomena, but they have been insufficiently linked to other phenomena and theories. We hope the links suggested in this review begin to remedy this.