Let there be no mistake! On assessment mode and the transference effect in social perception

We examined the possibility that assessment regulatory mode orientation affects the tendency to exhibit transference effects in social perception. Based on a social cognitive methodological paradigm devised by Andersen and colleagues [e.g., Andersen, Glassman, Chen, & Cole, 1996], we find that the transference effect is more pronounced when individuals’ (chronic) assessment orientation is low (vs. high). These results suggest that transference is more likely to occur when less attention is directed towards the target of perception.