The effect of disfluency on social distance.

Woltin, Karl-Andrew [UCL] Corneille, Olivier [UCL] Yzerbyt, Vincent [UCL]

Metacognitive experiences of disflueny have been shown to increase estimations of spatial and conceptual distance (Alter & Oppenheimer, 2009; Oppenheimer & Frank, 2008). Based on Construal Level Theory’s perspective that distances are interchangeable and have bi-directional effects (Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007), the current studies tested the novel hypothesis that disfluency may enhance social distance. To do so, target-related and–unrelated instantiations of visual (dis)fluency were employed by using social targets and fonts varying in fluency. In line with expectations, experiences of disfluency (vs. fluency) produced perceptions of greater self-other dissimilarity, both for explicit (Study 1) and rather implicit similarity judgments (Study 2). A further set of studies aimed at demonstrating a downstream of social consequences. Resource allocation has been conceptualized as a behavioral indicator of social distance. Consistent with our reasoning of fluency increasing social distance, participants allocated fewer resources to targets under disfluency (vs. fluency; Study 3). Participants were also better at perspective taking (Study 4) and showed less informational conformity with peers under disfluency (vs. fluency; Study 5). Neither mood, nor perceived task-enjoyment or –difficulty accounted for these findings. Overall, the research sheds light on how social distance can be exacerbated by a previously unaddressed psychological factor.