Studying the Meta-Accuracy First Impressions in the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Reality: Challenges and Opportunities Presented by Internet Research

Authors

  • ELENA TSANKOVA Department of Psychology, Institute for Population and Human Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Bl. 6, Fl. 5/6, Acad. Georgi Bonchev St., 1113 Sofi a, Bulgaria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5008-8894
  • ERGYUL TAIR Department of Psychology, Institute for Population and Human Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Bl. 6, Fl. 5/6, Acad. Georgi Bonchev St., 1113 Sofi a, Bulgaria https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2546-463X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/emet2020.140.150

Abstract

Aim. Studying first impressions meta-accuracy (how accurately we understand the
first impressions others form about us) is central to enhancing the communication process.
It typically requires experimental settings with at least minimal interactions between targets and perceivers. The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered face-to-face laboratory setups
almost impossible. Fortunately, the Internet offers a virtual environment where the metaaccuracy of first impressions could be studied safely. We review the opportunities and
challenges associated with the Internet study of meta-accuracy and make a call for action
to address them.
Concept. In certain ways the Internet facilitates the study of first impressions metaaccuracy. It is simpler and faster online, compared to the lab, to look at fi rst impressions
in asynchronous settings, such as email and social media updates, where targets present
themselves via images and/or text and perceivers later form impressions based on this
information. The Internet research solution, however, also comes with an array of difficulties. Synchronous communication settings, where targets and perceivers exchange information without delay, (e.g., instant messaging), present three major types of challenges to
study of first impression meta-accuracy—conceptual (e.g., differences between online and
offline first impression situations), technological (e.g., implementation of chat applications in
Internet surveys), and policy-driven (e.g., GDPR).
Conclusions. The opportunities and challenges presented by the Internet in the study
of first impression meta-accuracy also apply to the larger field of studying human interaction online. Discussing and addressing them has the potential to enhance Internet research
tools and practices for the humanities and social sciences.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Amazon. (2021). Amazon Mechanical Turk [Crowdsourcing marketplace]. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://www.mturk.com/

Bar, M., Neta, M., & Linz, H. (2006). Very fi rst impressions. Emotion, 6(2), 269–278. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.6.2.269

EagleDream Technologies. (2015). What is ChatPlat? [Video]. Vimeo. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://vimeo.com/112712246

Frączkowska, K. (2021, May 21). Internet methodology - difficulties and opportunities offered by the Internet in conducting research. Analysis of the phenomenon in the light of the literature on the subject [Conference presentation]. E-methodology International Academic Conference, online.

Gunaydin, G., Selcuk, E., & Zayas, V. (2017). Impressions based on a portrait predict, 1-month later, impressions following a live interaction. Social Psychological and Persona-lity Science, 8(1), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550616662123

Huang, K., Yeomans, M., Brooks, A. W., Minson, J., & Gino, F. (2017). It doesn’t hurt to ask: Question-asking increases liking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 430–452. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000097

Kenny, D. A., & DePaulo, B. M. (1993). Do people know how others view them? An empirical and theoretical account. Psychological Bulletin, 114(1), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.114.1.145

Molnar, A. (2019). SMARTRIQS: A simple method allowing real-time respondent interaction in Qualtrics surveys. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 22, 161–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2019.03.005

Olivola, C. Y., & Todorov, A. (2010). Elected in 100 milliseconds: Appearance-based trait inferences and voting. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 34(2), 83–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-009-0082-1

Prime Research Solutions LLC. (2021). CloudResearch [Participant recruitment platform]. Retrieved May, 27, 2021, from https://www.cloudresearch.com/

Prolifi c. (2021). Prolifi c [Participant recruitment platform]. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://www.prolifi c.co

Psychology Software Tools, Inc. (2020). E-Prime (Version Go) [Computer software]. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://pstnet.com/eprime-go/

Qualtrics. (2021). Qualtrics [Survey software]. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://www.qualtrics.com

Questback GmbH. (2021). Unipark [Survey software]. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://www.unipark.com/

Regulation 2016/679. The protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). European Parliament, Council of the European Union.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj

SoSci Survey GmbH. (2021). SoSci Survey [Survey software]. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://www.soscisurvey.de/

Tsankova, E., & Tair, E. (2021). Meta cognition on the Internet: Expected accuracy of human and AI virtual assistants’ fi rst impressions about us online. Manuscript in preparation.

Willis, J., & Todorov, A. (2006). First impressions: making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face. Psychological Science, 17(7), 592–598. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01750.x

Downloads

Published

2021-12-29

How to Cite

TSANKOVA, E. ., & TAIR, E. . (2021). Studying the Meta-Accuracy First Impressions in the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Reality: Challenges and Opportunities Presented by Internet Research. E-Methodology, 7(7), 140–150. https://doi.org/10.15503/emet2020.140.150

Issue

Section

“With the Internet” – Projects