Predicting your own and others' thoughts and feelings: More like a stranger than a friend

Abstract

Subjects made predictions about the likely cognitions or affective reactions that they, a well-known other, and a prototypic other, would have to ink-blot and pictorial stimuli. Their responses were categorized using Karniol's (1986) 10 transformation rules. No differences between the targets of prediction were found on any of the measures when ink-blot stimuli were used. For pictorial stimuli, a greater variety of transformation rules was used to make predictions about a well-known other than about self, and a greater variety of transformation rules was used for self than for a prototypic other. Again, for pictorial stimuli, more predictions about a well-known other were made using associations, transformation rules that represent personalized knowledge than about self, and more predictions using associations were made about self than about a prototypic other. Finally, the specific transformation rules used to make predictions about self and a prototypic other were more often the same than were the rules used to make predictions about self and a well-known other. The implications of the findings for the way procedural and declarative knowledge are represented are discussed within the context of the transformation rule model. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.