熱情優先是社會知覺的基本規律。以往研究發現,不同的知覺情境(知覺他人和知覺自我)會對熱情優先產生調節作用,但在知覺自我時,熱情和能力哪個更重要存在不確定性。本研究引入知覺者的社會階層這一新的調節因素,提出如下假設:知覺他人時,高低階層都認為熱情更重要,但這種熱情優先效應對低階層更明顯;知覺自我時,只有低階層認為熱情比能力更重要,而高階層則認為能力比熱情更重要。研究1讓大學生閱讀一些描述他人的包含熱情和能力的混合特質句子,然后對每個人用形容詞進行印象評定,并測量他們的客觀社會階層。結果發現:高低階層在對他人的印象評定中使用的熱情特質詞均比能力特質詞多,但低階層多的程度更高。研究2讓非大學生成人對給出的一組熱情和能力特質詞在描述自我時的重要性進行評定,并測量他們的主觀社會階層。結果發現:低階層認為熱情特質詞比能力特質詞在描述自我時更重要,而高階層則認為能力特質詞比熱情特質詞在描述自我時更重要。這些結果不僅說明社會階層對社會知覺普遍存在的熱情優先效應具有調節作用,而且對理解高低階層在互動中容易發生哪些誤解,以及如何緩解他們在互動中可能產生的沖突,也具有一定的啟發意義。

Warmth and competence are the two fundamental dimensions(i.e.Big Two) in social cognition.According to the Dual Perspective Model(DPM),warmth is the primacy of the Big Two and the Big Two are differentially linked to the actor(self) vs.observer(other) perspectives.In the observer perspective,warmth is more relevant and more important; whereas in the actor perspective,competence is more relevant and more important.Another domain of literature on social class psychology suggested that lower-class individuals were more sensitive to external environment and valued interdependent self; whereas upper-class individuals were more self-focused and valued independent self.The current study combined these two domains of literature and examined possible moderating role of social class on the link between the Big Two and the actor vs.observer perspectives.Specifically,we hypothesized that both lower-class individuals and upper-class individuals would value warmth more than competence in evaluating others,and this primacy of warmth would be more evident for lower-class individuals(H1).In contrast,lower-class individuals would also value warmth more than competence whereas upper-class individuals would value competence more than warmth when evaluating themselves(H2).Two studies were carried out to test these hypotheses.In Study 1,122 undergraduate participants were presented with a list of 8 sentences each describing a behavior of a stranger.The behavioral acts were deliberately chosen to be amenable to both warmth and competence traits.Participants were asked to use a single word to describe the character of the subject in each sentence.Information on participants’ objective socioeconomic status(SES,family income and highest parental education level) was also collected.In Study 2,137 community participants were asked to rate the importance of 12 traits(6 on warmth dimension,6 on competence dimension) in evaluating themselves.The Mac Arthur scale was used to assess participants’ subjective social class rank.In Study 1,more warm words(as compared to words on the competence dimension) were chosen to describe the character of the subjects in the sentences.This pattern was consistent among both lower-and upper-class individuals.In addition,lower-class individuals used significantly more warm words than upper-class participants.In Study 2,lower-class individuals scored significantly higher on warmth than competence.Contrary,upper-class individuals scored significantly higher on competence than warmth.Taken together,findings from these two studies provided evidences to support our hypotheses.The current study contributes to the social cognition literature by integrating the DPM and social class psychology.Social class does influence the primacy of warmth vs.competence as demonstrated previously in DPM.The primacy of warmth in evaluating others is more typical for lower-class individuals and the primacy of competence in evaluating themselves is more typical for upper-class individuals.Moreover,DPM further develops the ideas of social class psychology.Lower-class individuals showing contextual social cognitive tendencies and upper-class individuals showing solipsistic social cognitive tendencies are reflected very well in the primacy of warmth vs.competence in evaluating others vs.themselves.Uncovering the nuances in social cognition between lower and upper classes also provides important practical implications to promote healthy inter-class communications.