Project Description. Recent research on person perception has shown that people can make surprisingly accurate judgments based on minimal information. The proposed research will address conceptual gaps in knowledge about judgmental accuracy by integrating theoretical and empirical approaches from the areas of nonverbal communication, social cognition, and personality psychology. The objective of the proposed research is to examine several possible mechanisms that might account for the accuracy of `thin slice` judgments. Variables to be investigated can be classified into three major categories: variables relating to characteristics of the target, to the information judged, and to characteristics of the judges. By examining several mediating variables within each of these categories, it should be possible to identify the major variables and combinations of variables that influence the accuracy of judgments that are based on minimal information. %%% Project Justification. Recent research has shown that people can make surprisingly accurate judgments based on minimal information (such as a 2-second video clip of another person). The objective of this proposal is to examine several possible mechanisms that might explain the accuracy of such judgments. These include variables related to characteristics of the person being judged, variables related the people who are making the judgments, and variables related to the type of information that is available to the judges. The goal of this research is to identify the major variables and combinations of variables that influence the accuracy of judgments that are based on minimal information.
