Normative and Distinctive Situational Accuracy 1 Running Head: NORMATIVE AND DISTINCTIVE SITUATION PERCEPTION ACCURACY Normative and Distinctive Accuracy in Situation Perceptions: Magnitude and Personality Correlates

To what extent do people achieve accuracy in judging others’ situations? Based on interpersonal perception models, we propose that ex-situ raters may attain accuracy by judging the psychological characteristics of a situation that in-situ raters have experienced according to a normative and distinctive characteristics profile. Biesanz’ Social Accuracy Model (SAM) provides a flexible crossed-effects random coefficient modeling framework that can be applied to situation perception data. By targeting characteristics profiles with the analytical unit of the exsitu rater-situation dyad, the extent of and variation in normative and distinctive accuracy of exsitu raters can be estimated and explained by personality correlates to quantify “the good ex-situ rater.” We demonstrate a SAM approach to situational accuracy with real in-situ and ex-situ data (402 ex-situ raters judged 10 situations on 8 characteristics) and sketch future research.