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This study examined the role language plays in mediating the influence of verbal descriptions of persons on trait ratings of those persons. Subjects were given written descriptions of the behavior of fictitious persons in a work situation and were asked to rate them on fifteen trait- adjective scales. In one condition of the experiment, specific information about certain traits was withheld, forcing subjects to rate persons on traits for which they had no direct behavioral clues. In the other two conditions, the specific information was provided. Providing specific information about a trait directly influenced ratings on that trait even when sufficient general information on that trait was given. In one condition, the influence on the ratings of the additional behavioral clues was such that a new latent variable representing an additional component of meaning was called for in the structural equation model.
Carlson et al. (Fri,) studied this question.