warm/cold effect
DESCRIPTION
The tendency for the perception of a warm/cold personality trait of an individual to have an overwhelming effect on the formation of an impression of the individual’s personality and expectations for associated behaviors.
The tendency for the perception of a warm/cold personality trait of an individual to have an overwhelming effect on the formation of an impression of the individual’s personality and expectations for associated behaviors.
KEY INSIGHTS
Pioneering research on the warm/cold effect by Asch (1946) and Kelley (1950) has determined that individuals’ impressions of the personality of another individual can be significantly altered merely by describing the individual as either ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ when the warm/cold trait is included with other personality trait descriptions such as intelligent, industrious, and skilful. The broader term for the phenomenon is trait centrality, where such traits are observed to have a profound effect on impression formation in comparison to the contributing effects of other personality trait descriptions. In particular, observed traits descriptions that individuals associate with the ‘warm’ trait include popular, sociable, humorous, and happy. On the other hand, the ‘cold’ trait description is associated with a lack of such traits and, instead, associations with traits including restrained, persistent, and serious. The effect is explained in terms of the trait’s centrality, where such traits possess the property of centrality as a result of being highly correlated with other personality traits in individual evaluators’ implicit theories of personality.
Pioneering research on the warm/cold effect by Asch (1946) and Kelley (1950) has determined that individuals’ impressions of the personality of another individual can be significantly altered merely by describing the individual as either ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ when the warm/cold trait is included with other personality trait descriptions such as intelligent, industrious, and skilful. The broader term for the phenomenon is trait centrality, where such traits are observed to have a profound effect on impression formation in comparison to the contributing effects of other personality trait descriptions. In particular, observed traits descriptions that individuals associate with the ‘warm’ trait include popular, sociable, humorous, and happy. On the other hand, the ‘cold’ trait description is associated with a lack of such traits and, instead, associations with traits including restrained, persistent, and serious. The effect is explained in terms of the trait’s centrality, where such traits possess the property of centrality as a result of being highly correlated with other personality traits in individual evaluators’ implicit theories of personality.
KEYWORDS Personality, impression formation, trait centrality
IMPLICATIONS
Research on the warm/cold effect and trait centrality suggests that it is important for marketers to recognize that impressions of personality along the lines of a single trait such as warm/cold can have
a significant effect on customer expectations and satisfaction with a service. For example, research by Widmeyer and Loy (1988) demonstrates how teaching effectiveness perceptions and expectations can be influenced by perceptions of the warm/cold personality trait among teachers. As such, any marketer involved in the development, delivery, and evaluation of a service offering where individual personality has a prominent role in the service should seek to understand better how customer perceptions of the service provider’s personality may ultimately influence consumer expectations and satisfaction with the service.
Research on the warm/cold effect and trait centrality suggests that it is important for marketers to recognize that impressions of personality along the lines of a single trait such as warm/cold can have
a significant effect on customer expectations and satisfaction with a service. For example, research by Widmeyer and Loy (1988) demonstrates how teaching effectiveness perceptions and expectations can be influenced by perceptions of the warm/cold personality trait among teachers. As such, any marketer involved in the development, delivery, and evaluation of a service offering where individual personality has a prominent role in the service should seek to understand better how customer perceptions of the service provider’s personality may ultimately influence consumer expectations and satisfaction with the service.
APPLICATION AREAS AND FURTHER READINGS
Marketing Education
Widmeyer,W. Neil, and Loy, JohnW. (1988). ‘When You’re Hot, You’re Hot!Warm– Cold Effects in First-Impressions of Persons and Teaching Effectiveness,’ Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 118–121.
Widmeyer,W. Neil, and Loy, JohnW. (1988). ‘When You’re Hot, You’re Hot!Warm– Cold Effects in First-Impressions of Persons and Teaching Effectiveness,’ Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 118–121.
Babad, Elisha, Kaplowitz, Henry, and Darley, John (1999). ‘A “Classic” Revisited: Students’ Immediate and Delayed Evaluations of a Warm/Cold Instructor,’ Social Psychology of Education, 3(1–2), March, 81–102.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Asch, S. E. (1946). ‘Forming Impressions of Personality,’ Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 41, 258–290.
Asch, S. E. (1946). ‘Forming Impressions of Personality,’ Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 41, 258–290.
Kelley, H. H. (1950). ‘The Warm–Cold Variable in First Impressions of Persons,’ Journal of Personality, 18, 431–439.