Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

1
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

• Defined -- The process by which a persons
  expectations about someone can lead to that
  someone behaving in ways which confirm the
  expectations
• Pygmalion in the Classroom -- Research by
  Rosenthal and Jacobson
• Attractiveness in the beholders eye -- Research
  by Snyder, Tanke, Berscheid

2
How Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Works
Perceiver forms impressions
Perceiver treats target differently than others
Target adjust s behavior to match
perceivers actions
3
Confirmatory Bias

• Defined -- The tendency to seek, interpret, and
  create information that verifies existing beliefs
• Seeking information -- Snyder and Swann research
  on interviewing intro- and extro- verts
• Interpreting information -- the case of Hannah

4
The Function of Expectations

• Add stability to perceptual world
• Permit economy of effort
• Give us good enough accuracy
• Allow attention to focus on new information

5
Forming Stereotypes

• Learning to stereotype
• putting people in to pigeon holes
• if you see one pigeon, youve seen them all
• The belief - congruence theory
• assume that those who appear different have
  different values

6
When and Why We Stereotype

• Superficial contact
• Ego-defensive purpose
• Instrumental to goals
• Dysfunctionality of stereotypes

7
Applications in the Organization

• Performance appraisals
• attribution bias
• confirmatory bias
• recency effects
• Impression management
• self promotion
• conforming to norms
• flattery

8
Summing Up

• From confirming our impressions and beliefs
• To influencing others behavior through
  self-fulfilling prophecies
• To looking at how stereotypes form and persist
• To exploring two applications in the organization

9
Next Time

• The role of abilities and personalities in the
  organization