A test of cognitive balance theory implications for social inference processes

95 undergraduates inferred the likelihood of positive, neutral, and negative relations between elements in a triad both in the absence of prior information about other relations involving these elements and in the context of various information combinations differing in their affective quality. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality and social psychology 1970-12, Vol.16 (4), p.598-618
Main Authors: Wyer, Robert S, Lyon, John D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognition
Cognitive Style
Human
Information
Interpersonal Influences
Social Processes
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Summary:95 undergraduates inferred the likelihood of positive, neutral, and negative relations between elements in a triad both in the absence of prior information about other relations involving these elements and in the context of various information combinations differing in their affective quality. The stability of a situation in which the 3 relations occurred was also estimated. Data obtained in the absence of knowledge about other relations in the triad were used as norms relative to which inferences and stability ratings in the context of various relations were compared. When Ss were asked to infer all 3 of the relations in a triad, balanced sets generally occurred more frequently than would be expected by chances, but imbalanced relations did not occur less frequently than expected. Inferences under these conditions appeared to be primarily affected by a tendency to construct sets of relations that were similar to one another in affective quality. When Ss were asked to infer the 3rd relation in a triad given knowledge of the other 2 relations, balance theory was consistently supported only when the context consisted of 1 positive and 1 negative relation. In the context of 2 negative relations, results were frequently opposite to those predicted by balance theory. Results were often contingent upon both the type of elements (persons or objects) in the configuration and the type of inference required. However, the nature of these contingencies varied over context conditions. Stability ratings generally paralleled inference data. Results are taken as generally nonsupportive of balance theory. An alternative approach to the study of social inference processes is suggested. (21 ref.)
ISSN:0022-3514
1939-1315
DOI:10.1037/h0030072