Social perception and heterosocial self-efficacy: A multidimensional scaling analysis

This study investigated the hypothesis that differences in self-efficacy in opposite-sex interactions are associated with differences in the cognitive schemata employed in the perception of social situations. Forty-five male undergraduates sorted opposite-sex and same-sex interaction descriptions on the basis of similarity and rated them on several adjective scales. Multidimensional scaling indicated two dimensions of meaning used in sorting each set of situations. For opposite-sex situations, subjects of low and medium heterosocial self-efficacy utilized an intimacy dimension more and a risk of conflict dimension less than did high self-efficacy subjects. Perceived similarities among the same-sex interactions were based to a large degree on the risk of conflict involved for subjects of low and medium heterosocial self-efficacy, but not for the high self-efficacy group. All subject groups also utilized an intensity of feelings dimension. Compared to high efficacy subjects, low and medium efficacy subjects rated the opposite-sex situations as, on the average, more unpleasant, unfamiliar, and risky, and themselves as having less knowledge of how to behave, and experiencing more feelings of discomfort. The results suggest that levels of perceived efficacy in dating-related situations of college men are related to selective attention to different aspects of the meaning of heterosexual interactions, and that these differences also reflect a broader pattern of differences in social cognition. Multidimensional scaling appears to be a useful methodology for examining differences in social cognition as a function of personality differences, and may have useful clinical applications. © 1987 Plenum Publishing Corporation.

Duke Scholars

Author Clive Justin Robins Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychol ...