First Impressions

First Impressions
First impressions are the initial perceptions made about other people. The forming of first impressions is a natural process that all people undertake. These initial evaluative perceptions attempt to answer the question “what kind of person is this?” (Ybarra, 2011.) There is a common belief in the importance of making a good first impression.
These initial perceptions help people in social interaction. From judging the boy your daughter brings home to dinner to who gets your vote for President, first impressions play and important part.
Societal norms are used to help form these initial perceptions. If a person’s behavior is consistent with current societal norms, the more likely they will be perceived favorably. The initial impression will most likely be made about the appearance of an individual. With first impressions being made in a fraction of a second, a person's attire has been shown to convey qualities such as character, sociability, competence and intelligence (Damhorst, 1990). In 2014, it is not normal for someone to be seen walking down the street dressed as a medieval knight. Unless there is a renaissance fair nearby the person may be perceived as a weirdo.
First impressions aren’t conscious decisions made by the person forming the perception; it is just something that happens. The parts of the brain that are used when making a first impression are the amygdala and the posterior cingular cortex. The former is the area of the brain that processes sensory information and helps differentiate between harmful and non-harmful stimuli. The latter is the same area of the brain used to assign value to objects (Starr 2013). Two of the primary questions when meeting a person for the first time are “is this ...

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...ing he could to waste time and avoid going back to work. Therein lays the importance of making a good first impression.

Works Cited

Ybarra, Oscar. (2001). When first impressions don't last: The role of isolation and adaptation processes in the revision of evaluative impressions. Social Cognition, (19.5) 491-520.

Damhorst, M.L. (1990). In search of a common thread: classification of information communicated by dress. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 8(2), 1-12.

Lass-Hennemann J., Kuehl L.K., Schulz A., Oitzl M.S., Schachinger H. (2011). Stress Strengthens Memory of First Impressions of Others' Positive Personality Traits. PLS ONE 6(1): e16389. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016389

Starr, K. (2013). The science of first impressions. The Science of Luck, Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-luck/201302/the-science-first-impressions