Accuracy of Person Perception: A Component Analysis According to Cronbach

Abstract

Studied the predictions of 57 male and 38 female high school students (aged 16-18 yrs) concerning their own comfort and favorability in performing certain tasks and the favorability of stimulus persons of various sex-role orientations in the same situations. Ss completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory 2 mo before the study and were classified as androgynous, sex-typed, and undifferentiated. Ss then predicted the responses of androgynous, sex-typed, and undifferentiated others to masculine, feminine, and neutral situations (such as swinging a bat, ironing, and sorting newspapers, respectively). In accordance with Cronbach's (1955) suggestion, separate correlational measures of person accuracy, situation accuracy, and person-by-situation accuracy were computed. Ss were more accurate at predicting person effects and situation effects than person-by-situation interactions. Females, particularly feminine-typed females, were best at making person predictions. Males, particularly masculine-typed and androgynous males, were best at making situation predictions. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA )