Beyond Valence Transfer in an Evaluative Conditioning Paradigm: On the Nature of the Phenomenon and Its Relation to Personality

Inspired by previous work on the relation between evaluative conditioning (EC) and impression formation (e.g., halo effects), we investigated whether the pairing of a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) and a valenced unconditioned stimulus (US) changes not only the valence of the CS but also judgments about other CS features (e.g., trustworthiness). Additionally, we assessed whether individual differences in neuroticism and agreeableness moderate these effects. In two pre-registered experiments (N = 289 for Experiment 1 and N = 211 for Experiment 2), we found an impact of CS-US pairings not only on ratings of the valence of CSs but also on ratings of other CS features. The evidence for the moderating role of personality at the dimension levels (e.g., neuroticism) was mixed. Theoretical and practical implications of the results, alongside future research directions, are discussed.