The Shared Feature Principle in Person Perception: Shared Features Lead to Assumptions About Other Features

Abstract

We apply the shared features principle to the domain of person perception: When one person (target) shares a feature with another person (source), people will make assumptions about various other features of the target. We tested this prediction by conducting three pre-registered studies (N = 695). Participants completed a training task wherein one target shared a bridge feature with a physically tall source person while another target shared a feature with a physically short source person. We then measured target perceptions along multiple dimensions (e.g., dominance, strength) using self-reported ratings and an indirect measure (Semantic Misattribution Procedure). We found evidence for feature transfer: participants’ perceptions of a target person’s height changed in accordance with the height of the source it shared a feature with. We also found evidence for feature transformation: participants perceived a target person who shared a feature with a tall source person as stronger, more masculine, a better leader, and more dominant relative to a target person who shared a feature with a short source person. We consider the conceptual implications of our findings, their relevance for different areas of psychological science, and future research directions.