Sequential character of incoming information and creation of impression about another person

In previous research it was shown that break in the message increased perceived responsibility and moral disapproval of the person implicated by initial information in the story, and enhanced stereotypical thinking. In this article, we describe a field study that concerns the role that the break in the message plays in impression formation. The results show that a break in the message negatively influenced liking of the stimulus person. This effect was partly modified by length of the time that elapsed between the experiment and the assessment of participants' judgments. peerReviewed publishedVersion