A mathematical model for retrospective impression formation of small group interaction

We assume that a group member's summary impressions of the others in a group are a function of their behavior during a session of interaction, plus a possible “bias” component. Data are collected by observers scoring acts in a session of interaction. Regard observers' reactions to be surrogates for the group members, who retrospectively record their impressions of the others in terms of the same scoring categories. We argue that functions that transform the observers' data to approximate each group member's retrospective ratings lie in a five-parameter class of formulae. We discuss possible social-psychological meaning of the parameter values.