ABSTRACT
Everything is relative. In line with this truism, few psychological processes play as central a role in as many psychological phenomena as comparisons. Whenever information is perceived, processed, or evaluated, it is compared to a salient context, norm, or standard. Already the perception of a physical object involves a comparison with a pertinent standard (Helson, 1964). The perceived size of a target circle, for example, critically depends on whether the target is surrounded by a set of large or small circles, as is evident in the classic Ebbinghaus illusion (Coren & Enns, 1993). Similarly, the perceived weight of a target object depends on whether it is presented with a set of heavy or light objects (Brown, 1954). The perception and evaluation of social targets are equally comparative in nature. The perceived hostility of a target person, for example, depends on whether this person is evaluated in comparison to a set of hostile or nonhostile persons (Herr, 1986). In much the same way, whether we see a social issue as important (Sherman, Ahlm, Berman, & Lynn, 1978), a trial judge as lenient (Higgins & Stangor, 1988), or ourselves as competent (Morse & Gergen, 1970) all depend on whether these targets are compared to high or low standards.
