1. Multi-modal impression updating : how faces and voices shape impression development
- Author
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Masi, Matteo, Brambilla, Marco, and Fasoli, Fabio
- Abstract
A glance at a face, a few syllables uttered by a speaker, or the verbal description of a behaviour are sufficient for forming a first impression. Impressions are often determined by the combination of several modalities. Moreover, impressions are updated when additional, diagnostic information is presented. Only a few studies have tested the integration of multi-modal cues presented sequentially. This research aimed to extend and complement previous work on multi-modal impression updating. In seven pretests (N = 317) and eight experiments (N = 1613) we examined whether, how, and why multi-modal cues update first impressions based on faces, voices, and verbal descriptions of others' behaviour. In all experiments, participants were presented with a first information concerning the target and formed a first global (valence-based) impression. Then, they were presented with valence-inconsistent information from a different source before providing a second impression. In Experiments 1-3, we analysed face-to-voice and voice-to-face impression updating. We showed that faces and voices update impressions based on cross-modal cues. In addition, voices had a greater impact on updating impressions. In Experiments 4-7, we analysed behaviour-to-face and behaviour-to-voice updating. We demonstrated that faces and voices update first impressions based on behaviours. We also found that voices were on average more effective than faces, but that this effect depended on the type of faces used (i.e., artificial or real faces) and on perceived cue attractiveness. In Experiment 8, we provided an explanation for the higher impact of voice (vs. face) in impression updating. Comparing face-to-voice and voice-to-face updating, we found that voices were perceived as more diagnostic of others' self and intentions than faces, and that diagnosticity mediated their difference in updating. Our results provide evidence for the involvement of multi-modal cues in impression updating and open to further investigations on multi-modal integration.
- Published
- 2023
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