Learning as a Function of Perceived Similarity to Self¹

Abstract

X HE ACQUISITION of the individual's perceptions of other persons and the conditions under which these perceptions can be modified IS a central problem m personality theoryThe purpose of the present investigation is to pursue one aspect of how we learn to perceive others, l e , the relationship between the manner in which we perceive ourselves and the manner in which we learn to perceive others, and to advance a method to attack such a problem This problem can be fruitfully approached through the concept of mediated generalization, as represented in the work of Cofer and Foley (2) However, few studies have investigated the effects of such mediated generalization on new learning Bugelski and Scharlock (1) report such a study using nonsense syllables, while Russell and Storms (8) extended this work to include actual words with associative values inferred from norms on a word-association test In both studies learnmg was significantly facilitated by the mediation processes involved Our interest in studying self-perceptions stems in part from the general significance given to the concept of self or ego m many approaches to personahty We assume the individual has learned a relatively stable system of self-perceptions which we may conceptualize as responses to the self as a stimulus object We further assume that this system of self-perception, because of its relative stabihty, serves as an anchoring framework m the perception of others The degree to which an individual's self-perceptions are congruent with his perceptions of others is a function of the gradient of perceived ' This study was facilitated by a grant from the Laboratory of Social Relations,

Chapter VI: The Learner: Self and Perception

“…Bieri and Trieschman (9) reported that college students learned adjectives at both ends of the self-not-self continuum more effectively than adjectives lying in between, while Solley and Stagner (75) found that barrier behavior was related to self-valuation on a semantic differential scale. On the basis of a college remedial reading program Mann (50) hypothesized that failure in reading was related to the identification process and the maintenance of individual integrity.…”