Cultural dyes: Cultural norms color person perception

People from different cultures may perceive the same behavior in contrasting ways, thereby reaching very different conclusions. We argue that cultural norms not only guide our own behaviors but also color the way we perceive others. Here, we overview research on the different cultural norms people may use when judging others. Specifically, we discuss work on norms pertaining to how people describe, evaluate, and support others. Additionally, we also highlight some important implications of the reviewed research and underscore some key environmental factors that motivate stronger adherence to cultural norms. We conclude that the study of interpersonal perception is incomplete without taking into account the influence cultural norms have on the way we perceive others.

Class- and subject teachers' self-efficacy and emotional stability and students' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship, classroom management, and classroom disruptions

BACKGROUND

Teacher self-efficacy and emotional stability are considered crucial resources for coping with classroom demands. We examined how class and subject teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and emotional stability are related to teachers' and students' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship, classroom management, and classroom disruptions.

METHODS

In a sample of eighty-two swiss german 5th and 6th grade classes, 1290 students, their class teacher (N = 82), and a selected subject teacher (N = 82) filled out a questionnaire assessing classroom disruptions, teacher-student relationships, and classroom management. In a first step, we conducted t-tests on whether class teachers and subject teachers differ in their self-efficacy beliefs and emotional stability. In a second step, we explored by correlation analyses the relations between teacher self-efficacy in classroom management and emotional stability and the teachers' and students' perceptions of classroom disruptions, teacher-student relationships, and classroom management. In a third step, we examined by stepwise multiple regression analyses to what extent psychological variables predict teacher perceptions after controlling for students' ratings, representing rather "objective" classroom features.

RESULTS

In class teachers, high self-rated emotional stability and self-efficacy are associated with a more positive appraisal of teacher-student relationships and classroom management skills (compared with student ratings). By contrast, in subject teachers, high self-efficacy beliefs are associated with a more favorable perception of classroom disruptions, teacher-student relationships, and classroom management, from both the teachers' and students' perspectives.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study show a distinctive pattern for class teachers and subject teachers. In class teachers, high self-rated emotional stability and self-efficacy are associated with a more positive evaluation (compared to student ratings) of the teacher-student relationship and classroom management skills but not teacher perceptions of student misbehavior. On the contrary, subject teachers' firm self-efficacy beliefs are associated with more favorable perceptions of classroom characteristics, both from the teachers' and students' perspectives.

Confusing acceptance and mere politeness: Depression and sensitivity to Duchenne smiles

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Whereas the association between depression and the perception of emotions has been widely studied, only few studies have examined the association between depression and the ability to discriminate genuine (Duchenne) from fake (non-Duchenne) smiles. The present study examined this by comparing currently depressed, previously depressed, and healthy control individuals. Guided by recent theory, the present study also investigated the effect of depression recurrence on smile identification.

METHODS

Participants were 27 healthy controls, 33 with past depression (51% with recurrent depression), and 22 with current depression (77% with recurrent depression). Participants were presented with a series of 20 videos depicting smiling individuals, and were asked to indicate whether each smile was genuine or fake.

RESULTS

Having (or having had) a first episode of depression was associated with more mistakes in categorizing smiles as genuine or fake compared to having recurrent depression or to having no history of depression.

LIMITATIONS

Cross sectional design and a (relatively) small sample size.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that an impaired ability to differentiate between markers of affiliation and politeness is specific to first-episode depression, even after the depression has remitted.

An interdependent look at perceptions of spousal drinking problems and marital outcomes

Research supports a bidirectional association between heavy alcohol use and marital quality among couples. The current research extends previous research on the role of interpersonal perception by examining how partner drinking and perceiving one's partner's drinking as problematic are associated with subsequent marital outcomes. Specifically, we evaluated how perceiving one's partner to have a drinking problem was associated with marital functioning, and whether that association differed based on the partner's actual drinking. Married couples (N = 123 dyads) with at least one spouse who consumed alcohol regularly completed measures of alcohol use and consequences, the perception that their spouse's drinking was problematic, and marital adjustment (i.e., relationship satisfaction, commitment, and trust). Results from actor-partner interdependence models using structural equations modeling indicated that for husbands, partner heavy drinking was associated with lower adjustment. Additionally, for husbands, perceiving their spouse had a drinking problem was associated with lower adjustment for both themselves and their wives. Moreover, significant interactions between partner drinking and the perception of partner drinking problem on marital adjustment emerged. Specifically, perceiving one's partner's drinking as a problem was only negatively associated with relationship adjustment if the partner reported higher levels of heavy drinking. This pattern was stronger for husbands. Results illustrate the importance of interpersonal perception, gender differences, and the use of dyadic data to model the complex dynamic between spouses with regard to alcohol use and how it affects relationship outcomes.

Looking beyond the face: a training to improve perceivers' impressions of people with facial paralysis

OBJECTIVE

Healthcare providers and lay people alike tend to form inaccurate first impressions of people with facial movement disorders such as facial paralysis (FP) because of the natural tendency to base impressions on the face. This study tested the effectiveness of the first interpersonal sensitivity training for FP.

METHODS

Undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to one of two training conditions or an untrained control. Education raised awareness about FP symptoms and experiences and instructed participants to form their impressions based on cues from the body and voice rather than the face. Education+feedback added feedback about the correctness of participants' judgments. Subsequently, participants watched 30s video clips of people with FP and rated their extraversion.

RESULTS

Participants' bias and accuracy in the two training conditions did not significantly differ, but they were significantly less biased than controls. Training did not improve the more challenging task of accurately detecting individual differences in extraversion.

CONCLUSION

Educating people improves bias, but not accuracy, of impressions of people with FP.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Information from the education condition could be delivered in a pamphlet to those likely to interact with this population such as healthcare providers and educators.

Perceptions of partner drinking problems, regulation strategies and relationship outcomes

The current research evaluates how perceptions of one's partner's drinking problem relate to attempts to regulate partner behavior and relationship functioning, and whether this varies by perceptions of one's own drinking. New measures are offered for Thinking about your Partner's Drinking (TPD) and Partner Management Strategies (PMS). Participants included 702 undergraduates who had been in a romantic relationship for at least three months. Participants completed an online survey assessing perceptions of problematic drinking for one's self and partner, ways in which attempts were made to regulate or restrain their partner's drinking, relationship outcomes (i.e., satisfaction, commitment, trust, and need fulfillment), and alcohol use and consequences for self and partner. Factor analyses supported a single factor for Thinking about your Partner's Drinking (TPD) and two factors for the Partner Management Strategies (PMS) scale (i.e., punishment and reward). Results using structural equation modeling indicated that perceiving one's partner to have a drinking problem was associated with lower relationship functioning. Further, this association was mediated by strategies using punishment aimed at changing one's partner's drinking, but was not mediated by strategies using rewards. Finally, moderation results suggested that this relationship was not as detrimental for participants who perceived they also had an alcohol problem. In sum, perceiving one's partner to have a drinking problem was associated with relationship problems through punishing regulation strategies, and was weaker among individuals who also perceived themselves to have a drinking problem.