People may form impressions of us by the way we describe others

Researchers believe they may have uncovered a reason for the public scorn of independent counsel Kenneth Starr as he investigates President Clinton for possible perjury charges.

People who allege wrongdoing against someone are usually perceived by others as being dishonest themselves, say the team of psychologists from three Midwestern universities. Conversely, those who praise someone else may themselves be regarded as praiseworthy, the researchers argue.

The researchers, led by Ohio State University psychologist John J. Skowronski, PhD, call this phenomenon spontaneous trait transference. It has an unrecognized influence on people?s impressions of each other, the psychologists write in the April issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 74, No. 4, p. 837?848).

Trait transference may play a role in the public?s reaction to the scandal over President Clinton?s alleged relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, they argue. When Starr accuses Clinton of perjury, the public may perceive Starr himself as deceitful, they note. And when former White House employee Linda Tripp claims Monica Lewinsky told her about sexual liaisons with the president, Tripp herself may be seen as promiscuous.

'The gist of our research,' the authors said in a recent e-mail interview, 'is that when you gossip, you become associated with the characteristics you describe, ultimately leading those characteristics to be ?transferred? to you.'

To study the concept, Skowronski and his colleagues conducted studies in which they showed participants photographs or videotapes of a person. The photographs were accompanied by a brief statement either about the person or about someone else, in some cases a person the photographed individual knew personally. In the videotapes, actors answered questions about themselves or about someone they knew.

Some of the statements that accompanied the photographs (or made on the video) were designed to elicit a positive or negative trait. One, for example, read, 'Today he was walking to the store, and he saw this puppy. So he kicked it out of his way.'

But consistently, participants attributed the elicited trait to the speakers. This occurred even when the participants were specifically told that the statement had nothing to do with the speaker or photographed individual, or when the individual on the videotape was talking about someone else.

This suggests, the authors say, that trait transference is irrational and largely outside of our conscious awareness.

?S. Sleek