Expectancy Violations and Changes in Perceived Ability

Abstract

An investigation of the effect of inconsistent outcomes (e.g., success following expected failure) on judgments of ability, motivation, and positive and negative evaluation was carried out. Descriptions of an individual which varied as to the portrayal of his general ability and motivation (high or low) and subsequent success or failure were administered to 109 male and female undergraduates who then rated his ability and motivation and made evaluative judgments of him. Consistent with an equity model, it was found that inconsistent outcomes (for example, high ability-high motivation-failure) lead to significant changes in perceived ability but not motivation. It was posited that the instability of the ability, as opposed to motivation, ratings was due to the employment of descriptions of general rather than specific ability, and consequently in most evaluative situations ability will tend to be the less stable of the variables.