Independent impressions

Abstract

Your independent impression about something is essentially what you’d believe about that thing if you weren’t updating your beliefs in light of peer disagreement - i.e., if you weren’t taking into account your knowledge about what other people believe and how trustworthy their judgement seems on this topic. Your independent impression can take into account the reasons those people have for their beliefs (inasmuch as you know those reasons), but not the mere fact that they believe what they believe.