Should you trust your first impression? - Peter Mende-Siedlecki

彼得‧門德-施德萊斯基：第一印象可信嗎？

譯者: Ou Chih-Hong 審譯者: Marssi Draw

Imagine you're at a football game

想像你在看一場足球賽

when this obnoxious guy sits next to you.

旁邊坐著一個討厭鬼

He's loud,

he spills his drink on you,

他講話很大聲

飲料灑到你

and he makes fun of your team.

他還嘲笑你支持的球隊

Days later, you're walking in the park

幾天之後，你在公園散步

when suddenly it starts to pour rain.

突然下了一場大雨

Who should show up at your side

誰應該出現在你身旁

to offer you an umbrella?

給你一把雨傘呢？

The same guy from the football game.

就是足球賽那個討厭鬼

Do you change your mind about him

你會改變你對他的印象嗎？

based on this second encounter,

根據你們第二次相遇

or do you go with your first impression

還是你依舊相信你的第一印象

and write him off?

覺得他很討厭？

Research in social psychology suggests

社會心理學的研究指出

that we're quick to form lasting impressions of others

我們很快就能對他人產生長久印象

based on their behaviors.

依據他人的行為

We manage to do this with little effort,

我們很自然就這麼做

inferring stable character traits

從單一行為舉止

from a single behavior,

推論出長久的人格特質

like a harsh word

像是說了髒話

or a clumsy step.

或是犯了很傻的錯誤

Using our impressions as guides,

我們用印象做為指引

we can accurately predict

能夠準確的預測

how people are going to behave in the future.

這些人在未來會有什麼樣的舉止

Armed with the knowledge

有了這種知識

the guy from the football game

足球比賽的那個傢伙

was a jerk the first time you met him,

你第一次遇見他，覺得他是個混蛋

you might expect more of the same down the road.

你可能會覺得他以後也是個混蛋

If so, you might choose to avoid him

要是這樣，如果下一次你看到他

the next time you see him.

你會選擇避開他

That said, we can change our impressions

換言之，我們會改變印象

in light of new information.

因為我們得到新的資訊

Behavioral researchers have identified

行為研究員指出

consistent patterns that seem to guide

這種持續模式似乎會引導著

this process of impression updating.

我們處理印象的方向

On one hand, learning very negative,

一方面，知道關於某人非常負面

highly immoral information about someone

非常不道德的資訊

typically has a stronger impact

基本上會有更強的影響

than learning very positive, highly moral information.

相對於得知某人有非常正面、道德的資訊

So, unfortunately for our new friend

所以，我們足球場的新朋友

from the football game,

很不幸的

his bad behavior at the game

他在球場的壞行為

might outweigh his good behavior at the park.

可能比他在公園的好行為還要強烈

Research suggests that this bias occurs

研究指出之所以有這種偏見

because immoral behaviors are more diagnostic,

是因為從不道德的行為就能見微知著

or revealing,

或是能比較真實

of a person's true character.

顯露出一個人真正的個性

Okay, so by this logic,

好，依據這樣的邏輯

bad is always stronger than good

當有新的印象出現時

when it comes to updating.

壞的效果比好的效果來得強烈

Well, not necessarily.

不過，也不盡然如此

Certain types of learning don't seem to lead

特定幾種的學習似乎並不會

to this sort of negativity bias.

導向這種負面偏見

When learning about another person's abilities and competencies,

舉例來說

當你得知某人的能力、某人很稱職

for instance,

this bias flips.

這偏見就完全不相同

It's actually the positive information

事實上這種正面的資訊

that gets weighted more heavily.

會來得更重要

Let's go back to that football game.

讓我們再回到足球場

If a player scores a goal,

足球員射門得分

it ultimately has a stronger impact

這最後會有個更強的影響

on your impression of their skills

加深你對他們球技的印象

than if they miss the net.

比起他們沒有得分的話

The two sides of the updating story

這兩種改變印象的故事

are ultimately quite consistent.

在最後都滿有關聯性

Overall, behaviors that are perceived

總的來說

as being less frequent are also the ones

在形成以及更新印象時

that people tend to weigh more heavily

人們對不太常出現的行為

when forming and updating impressions,

印象會比較深刻

highly immoral actions

或是非常不道德的行為

and highly competent actions.

還有非常令人滿意的行為的時候

So, what's happening at the level of the brain

所以，當大腦在更新印象的時候

when we're updating our impressions?

這中間到底發生了什麼事？

Using fMRI,

透過 fMRI

or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,

也就是功能性磁振造影

researchers have identified

研究員指出

an extended network of brain regions

有一塊大腦區域延伸出的網絡

that respond to new information

對於和第一印象不同的

that's inconsistent with initial impressions.

新資訊會有反應

These include areas typically associated

這些區塊基本上都和

with social cognition,

社會認知

attention,

注意力

and cognitive control.

以及認知控制有關

Moreover, when updating impressions

此外，更新印象的時候

based on people's behaviors,

若是以行為做基礎

activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex

在腹側前額葉皮質區

and the superior temporal sulcus

以及上側顳葉溝的活動

correlates with perceptions

和我們所認為

of how frequently those behaviors occur in daily life.

那些行為在生活中出現的頻率有關

In other words, the brain seems to be tracking

換言之，大腦似乎會根據

low-level, statistical properties of behavior

統計中較低機率的行為特徵

in order to make complex decisions

針對他人的個性

regarding other people's character.

做出複雜的決定

It needs to decide

大腦需要決定

is this person's behavior typical

這個人的行為合乎常理嗎？

or is it out of the ordinary?

還是違背常理？

In the situation

在那個情況

with the obnoxious-football-fan-turned-good-samaritan,

討厭的足球迷最後成了好心人

your brain says,

你的大腦說：

"Well, in my experience,

「嗯，根據我的經驗

pretty much anyone would lend someone their umbrella,

很多人都可以借別人雨傘

but the way this guy acted at the football game,

但是這個人在足球場的舉止

that was unusual."

卻只有他會這樣。」

And so, you decide to go with your first impression.

所以，你還是決定相信第一印象

There's a good moral in this data:

有個不錯的道德故事和這資料有關：

your brain, and by extension you,

你的大腦，延伸出去就是你

might care more about

會比較在乎

the very negative, immoral things

另一個人所做的非常負面

another person has done

非常不道德的事情

compared to the very positive, moral things,

而非十分正面且道德的事

but it's a direct result

但這個直接的結果

of the comparative rarity of those bad behaviors.

存在於相對及少數的壞行為之中

We're more used to people being basically good,

我們比較習慣他人友善

like taking time to help a stranger in need.

像是找時間去幫助需要的人

In this context, bad might be stronger than good,

這種情況下，壞行為比好行為更強烈

but only because good is more plentiful.

只是因為好行為占多數

Think about the last time you judged someone

想一下你上一次根據他人行為

based on their behavior,

而評斷某人的時候

especially a time when you really feel

尤其是當你真心覺得

like you changed your mind about someone.

你想改變你對某人印象的時候

Was the behavior that caused you

那種讓你會

to update your impression

改變印象的行為

something you'd expect anyone to do,

是你認為大家都能做的

or was it something totally out of the ordinary?

還是只有少數人才會做的？