Objective
Good targets are those individuals who are seen more accurately than others. The present study examines the extent to which the good target is consistent across two domains and two contexts as well as how being perceived accurately is moderated by target well‐being.
Method
N = 194 participants completed a round‐robin forming first impressions design, wrote short essays on five life domains and completed a self‐report including measures of well‐being. An additional N = 211 participants read the essays to assess the author’s personality. We used the social accuracy model to allow for detailed analysis of individual differences among targets across traits and motives.
Results
We found support for the theory that the good target generalizes across both contexts and domains and also found evidence for a likable target. Target well‐being was not consistently associated with the good target across contexts and domains, though target well‐being was a consistent moderator for the likable target.
Conclusion
The good target is consistent across contexts and domains, but target well‐being is not a consistent moderator of distinctive accuracy beyond in‐person perceptions of traits. The likable target is more consistent across contexts and domains and has stronger links to target well‐being.
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