A field of research relevant to social psychology is interpersonal perception, a subject focusing on the beliefs and impressions between two interacting people. First impressions are always a major concern (I read in The Social Animal by David Brooks that a majority of the long-lasting judgments you make on a person become solidified in the first 20 seconds of meeting them) when it comes to meeting people for the first time and has manifested itself into a manipulable form when it comes to making first impressions via online social networks. YouJustGetMe is a site developed by social psychologists attempting to determine the significance of a few autobiographical details in relation to the accuracy with which you can judge another person's personality online. To participate, you have to create a free account, fill out a 40 question personality test, and from there you can select random profiles, look at their photo and read their about me, and then evaluate how you perceive their lifestyle, behavior, and attitude. Your score is then assessed in comparison to how they view their self and, as if to add just another twist to the site, if you receive a high enough score, you are allowed to contact them for further communication. The site offers some interesting commentary on the accuracy in which you can judge others on dating sites or social media while also admitting to the skepticism from the ability to screen your own personality online.
I suggest that you take a moment to check the site out, yourself. Can personality tests like these accurately assess people and are the methods being employed here successful in measuring a first impression? I invite you to take a look through my profile, evaluate me based off of the information I have given, and see if your impression of me rings true. If you decide to create one for yourself, I suggest posting it here to see how accurately others can assess you online.
I took the personality test, which in itself was an interesting experience because it, like other surveys and tests, makes me feel like I need to be very honest but also inevitably end up choosing the occasional exceedingly flattering answer. For example, I can sometimes get angry easily, but felt almost ashamed clicking that bubble. My results were fairly well balanced, except that I got a very large sphere labeled "abstract" and a very small one for "concrete." The accompanying description uses phrases like "artsy fartsy" and "space cadet." Though I can be, admittedly, somewhat artsy fartsy (as are most students at Pratt), but I certainly wouldn't call myself a space cadet. I think that I answered too heavily that I am calm and embrace abstract ideas, which is true, but I still have a healthy basis in reality.
ReplyDeleteI think that generally speaking, these questions are accurate and good measures of personality, but it is difficult to rely on oneself to answer accurately in every case.
I too took this personality test, which resulted in what I would consider to be accurate. Though I answered the questions, so for it to appear to be an accurate pretrial of my personality would seem to make sense. The part of this experiment that I find the most interesting is that people that you do not know can view a small portion of your personality, only then to try to describe your personality. I find this to be an interesting way to interrupt the way in which people access their personality in comparison to the way in which others do. Though I find many faults in this process. When creating the profile in which others then judge, you are in control in how you are portrayed, therefore adjusting the person's review in an enormous way. I feel as if this experiment is interesting and valuable in accessing the way in which people can control and alter the way in which people perceive them over the internet. But I do no feel as if it is an accurate test of the differences in the way people perceive themselves verses the way others do.
ReplyDeleteIt’s creepy how spot on the analysis from the survey was, at least for me. Almost everything they said about me was true. This website poses a lot of interesting ideas. I like the fact that you’re only able to actually contact someone if you’ve proven that you “get them.” But then again, you can never really be sure if you truly get them since the public profiles are very selective in the information that they share and this information may very well be filtered or untrue. But this concept of knowing someone before ‘friending’ them online is often so foreign on the internet today. On Facebook, for example, you can become friends with almost anyone these days. So many people have “friends” that they don’t actually know, or don’t know that well. If you had to complete a survey and match scores with someone before you could friend request them, I think Facebook would be a lot more personal and genuine. But then again, that might make it a lot less interesting, as well.
ReplyDeleteMy results were very accurate. I felt like it described my social tendencies accurately for the most part. I was surprised at the test's ability to judge how I act, because although I answered the questions in what I considered a truthful way, when looking at my responses most tended to be in the middle of "yes" and "no." Only a few of the questions moved me to respond entirely "yes" or "no." Even so, my results were pretty on par. This website got me thinking about surveys and their accuracy. Like someone else said about their answers, people have a tendency to exaggerate certain aspects of their personality in order to make themselves appear a certain way or in a way they thing is socially acceptable. This website in particular definitely falls victim to this because people are using it as a means of socializing online. In these types of situations people will inevitably want to make themselves look cool to impress others, instead of give answers that are completely truthful. When survey subjects such as personality are operationalized and then publicized, participants will most likely give faulty answers.
ReplyDeleteWow, the survey was pretty spot on as far how I perceive myself. This method of self perception and reading others does bring a different dimension to online dating or just getting to know people via internet and not in person. But I feel that no matter what, we always want to project ourselves a certain way and we have more control over that when we do it using the internet as a tool. But in person you can't always control the way you respond and do a little things that does make you who you are. But that doesn't mean that this method of compatibility isn't accurate, there's just many faults as most experiments. But sometimes I do wish 1 minute speed dating was a popular thing
ReplyDeleteI think I may have tended to give myself a little too much - or not enough - credit in certain cases on the test, but from a general point of view, I think the test was accurate. Though from my perspective, this is a good opportunity to point out the problem I have with self-evaluations - While they are most definitely useful from a critical standpoint, there is a tendency towards bias - As a result of my answers, the test ended up depicting me as a bit more calm than I know myself to be. In fact it was a conversation I had with a friend the other day how much I worry.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the first impressions aspect of the site was pretty interesting though. I personally try my best to not let first impressions define my judgement, but getting to see a couple of profiles, and realizing in the back of my mind the kinds of things I was thinking about these people, was an interesting realization, whether I want to or not.
In my opinion, I think Facebook provides what could be more accurate first impressions of people. Obviously it's impossible to record a person's entire personality on a site, but Facebook provides you with a list of likes and interests, comments, photographs, and various other personal details about a person, which sets you up to make a judgement before you even meet them. While some of it may still be biased and censored, I think after a point people tend to typically just not care as much what they post, since it becomes simply a routine act of communicating with the people in your life, and censorship and bias generally ends up dissolving a bit. I know for a fact that I was much more careful about what I was posting - from a language and content perspective - when I first joined facebook as opposed to now, and I think someone looking through my profile now could get a pretty accurate idea about who I am.
I tried the test too, and I think it is accurate in my point of view. I always think that personality test is a mirror that can only project our own illusion of our personality, and I agree with Steven that the online profit is only a self-evaluations. First Impressions play a important part in contact. There are also different ways of reading and observing people's behavior, outlook, and language. Through observation, we build profits for people around us. Internet and real world are different. Internet is nothing but a simulacra, however, it is a illusion that build by people, so it is hard to see whether is true or false. We are continually effected by it. It is not other people put labels on us, we also try to put people into different categories. I tried the test too, and I think it is accrute for my point of view. Personality test is a mirror that can only project our own illusion of our personality. I agree with Steven that the online profit is only a self-evaluations.
ReplyDeleteI think it is quite interesting to see how answering these general questions can give a deep insight to the individual, which is confirmed by our own assumptions about our self. However the argument can be made that we answer these questions based on a subconscious assumption that we believe that is our true selves.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I really think that a set of general questions, confirmed by us or not , can truly demonstrate the extent of one's self. We as individuals still in a process of characteristic flux, don't even know our self, let alone project who we think we are. One can suggest that only way to strip one of of these assumptions about self is to be in an unexpected situation . Where no time for contemplation of our actions takes place but just qut (unconditioned) reactions takes place.(Not necessary survival incidences but more emotional trails )