First Impressions

“Edited by two leading investigators in the  field and bringing together an impressive array of experts, the book is  well organised and well written, offering a balance of classic and  cutting-edge findings....First Impressions succeeds in its mandate to  provide a broad overview of what we currently know about the processes  and moderators involved in impression formation. In so doing, it  fulfills an important role, in that no other volume currently exists to  organise our knowledge about impression formationarguably one of the  most central topics in social psychology....Not only a useful reference  for researchers looking for an overview of the field, but it would also  be suitable as a teaching tool for both graduate and senior  undergraduate students, demonstrating to them the significant advances  that have been made and enticing them with opportunities for further  discovery.”

—Canadian Psychology


“The editors of this important book were pioneers of the scientific research that validated the folk wisdom of the power of first impressions. They have now assembled a stellar cast of contributors with longstanding research programs in this area. The book features some of the most exciting research in psychology today, including groundbreaking studies of the evolutionary and neurobiological underpinnings of first impressions, when they can (or cannot) be trusted, and how and why they have such power in interpersonal relationships. Reading this valuable work may change your thinking about the sophistication and depth with which we so quickly appraise other people, coming to feel we 'know' them in more or less the blink of an eye.”

—John A. Bargh, PhD, James Rowland Angell Professor of Psychology, Yale University


“First Impressions solidly represents the rich tradition of highly controlled laboratory studies that aim at understanding social-cognitive processes of priming, interpretation, and association. Its special contribution is to place these processes in context, considering evolutionary hypotheses; brain systems involved in 'mindreading'; the range of facial, behavioral, and even environmental cues used by social perceivers; and the accuracy of the resulting first impressions. This book will be an unparalleled resource for researchers and graduate students in social psychology, and could serve as a text for advanced undergraduates or graduate students.”

—Eliot R. Smith, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University