The Social Accuracy Model of Interpersonal Perception: Assessing Individual Differences in Perceptive and Expressive Accuracy

Abstract

The social accuracy model of interpersonal perception (SAM) is a componential model that estimates perceiver and target effects of different components of accuracy across traits simultaneously. For instance, Jane may be generally accurate in her perceptions of others and thus high in perceptive accuracy-the extent to which a particular perceiver's impressions are more or less accurate than other perceivers on average across different targets. Just as well, Jake may be accurately perceived by others and thus high in expressive accuracy-the extent to which a particular target is accurately perceived on average across different perceivers. Perceptive and expressive accuracy can be further decomposed into their constituent components of normative and distinctive accuracy. Thus the SAM represents an integration of Cronbach's componential approach with Kenny's (1994) social relations model. The SAM is illustrated using both a half-block as well as a round-robin design. Key findings include reliable individual differences in several specific aspects of interpersonal perceptions.

Try to Find Me: Social Anxiety and Peer First Impressions

“…This enables one to examine important questions related to consensus but does not allow for the assessment of individual differences in accuracy. In contrast, the social accuracy model examines rater and targets effects for persons, on average across measures, thereby allowing an examination of how accurately a person sees and is seen by others, and enables an examination of individual differences in accuracy (see Biesanz, 2010, for a detailed discussion).…”

“…Building on Cronbach's (1955) distinction between differential (distinctive) and stereotype (normative) accuracy, Biesanz developed a social accuracy model of interpersonal perception (SAM; Biesanz, 2010) that provides a method to differentiate the positivity from the accuracy of perceivers' impressions of targets' personalities. According to the model, positivity is reflected in normative convergence (normative accuracy), the extent to which a perceiver's perceptions of a target individual converge with the normative personality profile, that is, what the average person is like (see also Furr, 2008).…”

Do We Know When Our Impressions of Others Are Valid? Evidence for Realistic Accuracy Awareness in First Impressions of Personality

“…The analytical method follows the social accuracy model (SAM) of interpersonal perception (Biesanz, 2007(Biesanz, , 2009(Biesanz, , 2010. In brief, SAM is an integration of Kenny's (1994) social relations model with Cronbach's (1955) componential approach to examining accuracy in interpersonal perception.…”

“…Specifically, following the social accuracy model of interpersonal perception (Biesanz, 2007(Biesanz, , 2009(Biesanz, , 2010, we examine two components of accuracy, distinctive realistic accuracy and normative accuracy (Biesanz, 2010;Cronbach, 1955;Furr, 2008). Distinctive realistic accuracy refers to the extent to which a perceiver discerns an individual's unique, differentiating characteristics.…”

Agreement on the Perception of Moral Character

“…The second profile correlation indexed distinctive agreement, which controls for the moral profile of the average or "normative" person. This provides a very conservative index of inter-rater agreement that estimates agreement on how a particular person differs from the norm (Biesanz, 2010;Furr, 2008). To calculate distinctive agreement, we created a "distinctive" self-rated moral profile for each target by subtracting the average self-rating for each facet from the target's self-rating on the corresponding facet.…”