ABSTRACT
Inference-making is a fundamental and pervasive human process. Nearly every interaction, and every decision people make, is likely to involve one or more inferences about themselves or aspects of their social environment. Different processes may be involved at different times, depending upon the nature of the information presented, the nature of the judgment to be made, and the situational conditions surrounding the judgment. A judgment or inference about an object may be conceptualized as the assignment of the object to a verbal or nonverbal concept, or cognitive category. Verbal and nonverbal information are obviously interrelated. For example, aspects of a visual or emotional experience may be assigned verbal labels at the time the experience occurs; these labels may then be stored in long-term memory, and may subsequently be recalled for use in making inferences. In addition to its direct implications for the judgment to be made, information may have indirect effects on this judgment. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
