Investigators: Matteo Masi, Simone Mattavelli, Marco Brambilla
Our understanding of impression formation from faces and voices is derived mainly from studies in which facial and vocal stimuli are presented simultaneously (Mileva, Tompkinson, Watt & Burton, 2018; Rezlescu, Penton, Walsh, Tsujimura, Scott, Banissy, 2015; Vandersall, 2006). As a consequence, prior work does not test the unique contribution of facial and vocal cues in driving impressions. Moreover, most studies on the role of facial and vocal cues in driving impressions have been considered mainly “first” impressions, overlooking that impression formation is a dynamic process as our impressions of other people develop over time (Cone, Mann & Ferguson, 2017). In a similar vein, prior work on impression updating has tapped the processes implied in impression change, revealing that first impressions change when the additional information is perceived as diagnostic and extreme (Shen, Mann & Ferguson, 2020; Cone & Ferguson, 2015; Van Dessel, Cone, Gast & De Houwer, 2019). The present research project aims at filling these gaps by investigating the role of facial and vocal cues in driving the impression updating process. More specifically, we aim at testing whether a cross-modal impression updating from face to voice, and vice versa, happens.
Matteo Masi
PhD Student
My research interests include social impression formation and updating, with a particular focus on facial and vocal features that influence such processes.