Wang Deming, Ziano Ignazio
James Cook University, Singapore.
University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2025 May;51(5):701-715. doi: 10.1177/01461672231199161. Epub 2023 Sep 22.
Across nine experiments (eight preregistered) involving Western and Asian samples, we showed that people providing ambiguous (vs. specific) responses to questions in various social scenarios are seen as less likable. This is because, depending on the social context, response ambiguity may be interpreted as a way to conceal the truth and as a sign of social disinterest. Consequently, people reported lower inclination to befriend or date individuals who appeared to provide ambiguous responses. We also identified situations in which response ambiguity does not harm likability, such as when the questions are sensitive and the responder may need to "soften the blow." A final exploratory study showed that response ambiguity also impacts personality perceptions-individuals providing ambiguous responses are judged as less warm, less extraverted, less gullible, and more cautious. We discuss theoretical implications for the language psychology and person perception literatures and practical implications for impression management and formation.
在涉及西方和亚洲样本的九项实验（八项预先注册）中，我们发现，在各种社交场景中对问题给出模糊（而非具体）回答的人，会被认为不那么讨人喜欢。这是因为，根据社会背景的不同，回答的模糊性可能会被解读为隐瞒真相的一种方式，以及对社交不感兴趣的一种表现。因此，人们表示，他们更不愿意与那些似乎给出模糊回答的人成为朋友或约会对象。我们还发现了一些情况，在这些情况下回答的模糊性不会损害讨人喜欢的程度，比如当问题比较敏感，回答者可能需要“缓和打击”时。最后一项探索性研究表明，回答的模糊性也会影响对个性的认知——给出模糊回答的人被认为不够热情、不够外向、不够轻信他人，且更加谨慎。我们讨论了这一研究对语言心理学和人物感知文献的理论意义，以及对印象管理和形成的实际意义。
