Faces and names serve as key cues in shaping competence impressions. This study employed two experiments (Experiment 1: face presented first; Experiment 2: name presented first) to investigate how the order of presenting these cues and their congruence in signaling competence influence the formation of competence impressions. The results revealed two main findings: (1) The matching effect-whereby competence ratings were significantly higher when the facial and name cues were congruent rather than incongruent-was more stable when the name was presented first. (2) An asymmetric recency effect: when the cues were incongruent, a subsequently presented high-competence cue (whether a face or a name) consistently enhanced the initial impression. In contrast, the effect of a subsequently presented low-competence cue depended on its type: a low-competence name had minimal impact, whereas a low-competence face slightly improved the impression. In summary, recency plays a dominant role in the dynamic updating of competence impressions, with positive and visual information (conveyed by faces) holding an advantage in impression modification. These findings offer insights into the mechanisms of social judgement and offers implications for mitigating decision-making biases.

face, name, face-name matching effect, competence, recency effect