ABSTRACT
Human information processing does not take place in an isolated ether.Rather, the judgments we make, the feelings we experience, and thebehaviors we engage in are situated in a rich psychological context, which includes context stimuli that are immediately present, remembered, or constructed on the spot. Much of the research in psychology over the past 50 or so years has examined how this psychological context shapes our judgments, feelings, and behaviors. This research has described two general context effects: assimilation and contrast. Our judgments, feelings, and behaviors may either be displaced toward (assimilation) or away from (contrast) context stimuli.
