Fundamental dimensions of social judgment: Understanding the relations between judgments of competence and warmth.

TLDR

Most judgments of traits, people, groups, and cultures are thought to be based on two dimensions—competence/agency/individualism and warmth/communality/collectivism—yet the relationship between them is unclear, varying from positive in trait judgments to negative in group and cultural stereotypes. The authors aim to investigate the dynamic relationship between competence and warmth by experimentally manipulating the target’s position on one dimension and observing effects on the other. They conduct four studies that experimentally manipulate the target’s location on one dimension and measure the resulting consequences for the other dimension. Their data reveal a generally negative dynamic relationship between competence and warmth, moderated by additional factors explored in the studies.

Abstract

In seems there are two dimensions that underlie most judgments of traits, people, groups, and cultures. Although the definitions vary, the first makes reference to attributes such as competence, agency, and individualism, and the second to warmth, communality, and collectivism. But the relationship between the two dimensions seems unclear. In trait and person judgment, they are often positively related; in group and cultural stereotypes, they are often negatively related. The authors report 4 studies that examine the dynamic relationship between these two dimensions, experimentally manipulating the location of a target of judgment on one and examining the consequences for the other. In general, the authors' data suggest a negative dynamic relationship between the two, moderated by factors the impact of which they explore.