Researchers had participants memorize a number of words before reading an ambiguous passage about a character named Donald. The words participants read influenced how they interpreted Donald's somewhat ambiguous behavior. The take-home message of this study is that thoughts have to be __________ before they affect our impressions of the social world.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The study suggests that thoughts have to be both accessible (able to be brought to mind) and applicable (relevant to the situation) before they affect our impressions of the social world. The participants had to remember the words in order for them to influence how they interpreted Donald's behavior, which shows that the thoughts were both accessible and applicable in this case.

Researchers Had Participants Memorize a Number of Words Before Reading