Behavioral and Brain Sciences



Short Communication

Accuracy and error: Constraints on process models in social psychology


Alan J. Lambert a1, B. Keith Payne a2 and Larry L. Jacoby a1
a1 Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 alambert@artsci.wustl.edu lljacoby@artsci.wustl.edu
a2 Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 payne.265@osu.edu

Abstract

In light of an historical obsession with human error, Krueger & Funder (K&F) suggest that social psychologists should emphasize the strengths of social perception. In our view, however, absolute levels of accuracy (or error) in any given experiment are less important than underlying processes. We discuss the use of the process-dissociation procedure for gaining insight into the mechanisms underlying accuracy and error.