A Room With a Cue:A Room With a Cue:Personality Judgments Based on Personality Judgments Based on Offices and BedroomsOffices and Bedrooms

Samuel D. Gosling and Sei Jin Ko, University of Texas at AustinThomas Mannarelli, INSEADMargaret E. Morris, Sapient

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002

IntroductionIntroduction Individuals select and craft physical environments that reflect and reinforce who they are. Observers use the information available in everyday environments to form impressions of what the occupants of those environments are like.

Brunswik’s Lens Model Brunswik’s Lens Model (1956)(1956)

Mechanisms Linking Mechanisms Linking Individuals to the Individuals to the Environments They InhabitEnvironments They InhabitIdentity claims:

◦Self-directed: People choose decorations that fit their own personal taste and aesthetic

◦Other-directed: Displaying symbols to make statements to others

Conceptually distinct motivations

Mechanisms Linking Mechanisms Linking Individuals to the Individuals to the Environments They InhabitEnvironments They InhabitBehavioral residue:

◦ Interior: Physical traces of activities conducted in the environment

◦Exterior: Physical traces of activities conducted outside the environment

These four mechanisms can be interlinked

Mechanisms Linking Mechanisms Linking Individuals to the Individuals to the Environments They InhabitEnvironments They Inhabit

The Five Factor ModelThe Five Factor Model Openness to Experience: Creative, imaginative,

abstract, curios, inventive, deep thinkers, value art NOT convectional, concrete, traditional.

Conscientiousness: Efficient, organized, thorough dependable, hardworking NOT reckless, disorganized, careless and impulsive.

Extraversion: Talkative, enthusiastic, energetic, outgoing, assertive, sociable NOT reserved, quiet, shy.

Agreeableness: Helpful, selfless, forgiving, trusting, sympathetic, considerate, kind, affectionate NOT blunt, quarrelsome, critical, harsh

Emotional Stability: Calm, relaxed, able to handle stress NOT easily upset, tense, moody, and anxious

The Five Factor ModelThe Five Factor Model Openness to Experience: (8+Q5-

Q10)/2Averages: Male – 5.39 Female – 5.45

Conscientiousness: (8+Q3-Q8)/2Averages: Male – 5.27 Female – 5.56

Extraversion: (8+Q1-Q6)/2Averages: Male – 4.30 Female – 4.68

Agreeableness: (8+Q7-Q2)/2Averages: Male – 5.05 Female – 5.36

Emotional Stability: (8+Q9-Q4)/2Averages: Male – 5.27 Female – 4.65

Research GoalsResearch Goals

The primary aim was to document:Evidence for observer accuracyLinks between occupants and the physical features of their personal environments (i.e., cue validity)Links between the physical features and observers’ impressions of occupants (i.e., cue utilization)Stereotype use

Research StepsResearch StepsExamining inter-observer agreementTesting the accuracy of the

observationsExploring cue utilization and cue

validityUnderstanding the role of

stereotypes

Issues were addressed in bedrooms and offices

Question 1: ConsensusQuestion 1: Consensus

Do observers agree about Individuals’ personalities on the basis of their personal environments?

According to past zero-acquaintance studies, observer consensus is not equally strong for all traits (Extraversion consensus > Agreeableness consensus). We expect that physical spaces would provide observers with more information about some traits than about others, thus increasing the consensus regarding these traits

Question 2: AccuracyQuestion 2: Accuracy

Are observers’ impressions correct?

Previous zero-acquaintance studies showed observer judgments had some correlation with self reports Since personal environments are richer in information than are zero-acquaintance contexts we expected significant accuracy correlations for observer judgments

Question 3: Cue Utilization and Question 3: Cue Utilization and Cue ValidityCue Validity

Which cues in personal environments do observers use to form their impressions, and which cues are valid?

Coded features of the environments were correlated with:

◦ Observer judgments (cue utilization)◦ Criterion measures (cue validity)

Question 4: Question 4: Stereotype Stereotype UseUse

How do stereotypes used by observers affect consensus and accuracy?

Do observers rate differently occupants they believe to belong to a given social category (e.g., female, white)? Consensus will increase if observers hold and use the same stereotypes Stereotypes are sometimes true…

Design of the StudiesDesign of the Studies

We examined the above four questions in offices and bedrooms, settings that may facilitate the accumulation of behavioral residue and permit other forms of self-expression.

Study 1: Office spaces

Study 2: Apartment rooms and dorm rooms

Observer JudgmentsObserver Judgments

The observers were untrained undergraduate students. The observers were unacquainted with the participants and did not discuss their ratings with one another. All photos of occupants and reference to occupants’ names were covered We obtained consensus estimates by computing the mean correlation among the observers’ ratings.

Accuracy CriteriaAccuracy Criteria

Self-ratings from occupants and peer ratings from the occupants’ close acquaintances were obtained. Accuracy estimates were obtained by correlating the observers’ ratings with the combined self- and peer ratings. On average, the self ratings had 0.4-0.53 correlation with peer ratings. Peer ratings had 0.75-0.9 correlation

Environmental CuesEnvironmental Cues

A separate team of coders examined and recorded the features of each room. Cue utilization and cue validity estimates were obtained by correlating these codings. Vector correlations between the cue-utilization correlations and the cue-validity correlations were computed.

Sex and Race of Sex and Race of OccupantsOccupants

Observer estimates of the sex and race of occupants were used to assess the mediational role of sex and race stereotypes on interobserver consensus and accuracy.

Results – Study 1 - OfficesResults – Study 1 - Offices

Some traits are assessed more accurately than others High vector correlations usually means higher accuracy and consensus

Offices Results - OpennessOffices Results - Openness

GOOD CUESBAD CUESMISUSED CUESMISSED CUES

Offices Results - Offices Results - ConscientiousnessConscientiousness

Offices Results - Offices Results - AgreeablenessAgreeableness

Offices Results - Offices Results - ContinuedContinuedExtraversion:

◦Good (but overrated) cues - decorated, cheerful, inviting, colorful, distinctive etc.

Emotional stability: ◦Misused cues: Inviting, organized,

comfortable, good condition etc.◦Underused cues: formal, modern,

undecorated, unvaried books/CDs/magazines, indistinctive

Results – Study 2 - Results – Study 2 - BedroomsBedrooms

Results - BedroomsResults - BedroomsObservers usually use similar

cues for offices and bedrooms

Results - BedroomsResults - BedroomsOpenness and Conscientiousness

have similar cues in offices and bedrooms.

Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability have few distinctive cues.

Bedrooms Results – Bedrooms Results – Emotional StabilityEmotional Stability

Comparison with Previous Comparison with Previous ResearchResearchConsensus:

Comparison with Previous Comparison with Previous ResearchResearchAccuracy:

Accuracy correlations are usually higher in bedrooms than in offices◦College students are particularly prone to

self expression◦Observers are also college students◦Office décor is often restricted by

guidelines◦Individuals in offices are often concerned

about projecting a positive image◦Bedrooms are richer environments than

offices

Results - Offices/Bedrooms Results - Offices/Bedrooms comparisoncomparison

Results- stereotypesResults- stereotypesStereotypes did affect the

observers!

LimitationsLimitationsOccupants may have tidied or

altered their rooms before the assessment team arrived

Occupants may craft their environment to project specific impressions that they deem desirable

A limited set of cues was used

ConclusionConclusion

The research provides strong support for the assumption underlying this test: much can be learned about people from the spaces in which they dwell

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