On-Line Evidence for Spontaneous Trait Inferences at Encoding

• DOI: 10.1177/0146167296224005
• Publication Date: 2007-03-11T05:35:43Z
• Authors: James S. Uleman; Alex Hon; Robert J. Roman; Gordon B. Moskowitz
• Keywords: Trait; Paragraph; Line (geometry)

Three experiments obtained evidence that spontaneous trait inferences (STIs) occur on-line, at encoding. In each, participants read many sentences on a computer screen. After each paragraph, they indicated whether it included test probe word. Paragraphs imply but do not contain traits should increase errors or reaction times (RTs) to probes. Experiment 1, trait-implying paragraphs produced more than control paragraphs, supporting the hypothesis. Experiments 2 and 3, with feedback trial, longer RTs supported STIs had same effects as McKoon Ratcliff's "predicting inferences. " Unexpectedly, gained over predicting inferences, so RT differences (and error in 1) declined trials. Analyses of reading 3 ruled out several alternative explanations. Results demonstrate social can spontaneously encoding suggest immediate may make possible.