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Are We Puppets on a String? The Contextual Meaning of Unconscious Expressive Cues

Maya Tamir

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Michael D. Robinson

North Dakota State University

Gerald L. Clore

University of Virginia

Leonard L. Martin

Daniel J. Whitaker

University of Georgia

In three studies, the authors show that unconscious expressive cues can lead to opposite evaluations, depending on the context in which they occur. In Study 1, brow (vs. cheek) tension reduced preferences in an easy judgment context but increased preferences in a difficult context. In Study 2, head shaking (vs. nodding) either increased or decreased prosocial affect depending on the context in which the judged character was presented. In Study 3, a subliminal smile (vs. frown) led to higher self-ratings of performance when paired with one’s own actions but to lower selfratings of performance when paired with a competitor’s actions. Together, these results suggest that the meaning of unconscious expressive cues is not fixed.

Key Words: nonconscious processing • affect • evaluation • bodily expressions

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 30, No. 2, 237-249 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167203259934
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A. L. Alter and D. M. Oppenheimer
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Personality and Social Psychology Review, August 1, 2009; 13(3): 219 - 235.
[Abstract] [PDF]