On the trait implications of social behaviors

Four hundred stimulus behaviors and their mean normative ratings for kindness, intelligence, goodness, and normality were presented for use in person perception and memory studies. Each of the four normative ratings was based on a separate sample of 35 to 39 undergraduate students from the University of Illinois. Rankings of the mean ratings were provided to facilitate a quick comparison of the behavior ratings along each of the four trait dimensions. In addition, a cluster analysis of the behaviors was reported, using the mean kindness, intelligence, and normality ratings as defining variables. Six clusters were distinguished: (1) behaviors that primarily conveyed indness; (2) behaviors that primarily conveyed unkindness; (3) behaviors that conveyed an unusual amount of intelligence; (4) behaviors that conveyed general intelligence; (5) behaviors that conveyed a general lack of intelligence; and (6) behaviors that conveyed very little information about kindness or intelligence.