In social psychology, a construal is a way that people perceive, comprehend, and interpret their world, particularly the acts of others toward them.
Researchers and theorists within virtually every sub-discipline of psychology have acknowledged the relevance of a subjective construal, especially with regards to the concepts of the false consensus effect and the fundamental attribution error.
Construal used to be viewed as an obstruction in one's perception of the world, but has evolved into a mechanism used to explain how or why people think the way do.
Solomon Asch presented an important concept in construal theory when he stated, "that the very meaning of a message can change as a function of the source to which it is attributed."
An objective observer may perceive Samantha's smiling as friendly, but Christopher may think that she is laughing at something in his appearance, and as a result, he might not invite her.
Contemporary views on construal include the concepts of naïve realism, the accessibility principle, and a focus on the idea of self-construal.
[5] In a study headed by Lee D. Ross, David Green, and Pamela House (1976), eighty Stanford University undergraduates were asked if they were willing to walk around campus for at least thirty minutes while wearing a large sandwich board sign that read "Eat at Joe's" and record the responses of their peers to this novel situation.
The results indicated that the subjects failed to recognize that their peer's construal or interpretation of the situation may be quite different from the perspective they personally take.
(see also false consensus effect) In 2004, Lee D. Ross developed a theory of a type of construal that he calls "naïve realism."
They argue that the distinctions made regarding independent and interdependent construals should be viewed as general tendencies that may emerge when the members of the culture are considered as a whole.
[8] Also, "According to Markus and Kitayama (1991), those with an independent self-construal define themselves in terms of internal attributes such as traits, abilities, values, and preferences.
Their research is primarily based on previous assertions that ethnic minorities are more likely to experience distress and express apprehension about the rigors of college.
Markus and Kitayama's self-construal theory postulates that there are two basic ways of conceptualizing the human person and that cultures differ according to which of those they subscribe to.
[13] Research drawing on self-construals now shows ways to reduce the intentions of people to binge drink or engage in dangerous driving.
An article by Martin, Lee, Weeks and Kaya (2013) suggests that understanding consumer personality and how people view others is important.
People who were loners or who did not see close friends important to their sense of who they were reacted better to ads featuring a person.
However, after about age 40 women should begin mammograms, an effective low-radiation screening method for breast cancer.
Consequently, one study of construal conducted by Gallagher and colleagues looked at the link between message framing and perceptions about breast cancer susceptibility.
The research is primarily based on the assumption that "people's responses to framed messages may not always be a simple reflection of the presumed risky nature of screening behaviors, but rather shaped by beliefs about risk.
"[16] They found "that among women who have a family history of breast cancer, their construal of mammography moderates their responses to framed messages.
"[16] Their research shows that the perception of susceptibility to the development of breast cancer was not directly associated with a person's construal of the function of mammography.