Asked 84 undergraduates to rate 8 hypothetical situations for pleasantness, tension, and consistency on 9-point scales. The situations were of the person-other-object (P-O-X) type, consisting of 2 persons and an unspecified but important "thing." The situations varied in terms of the liking relation between P and O (positive or negative) and the presence or absence of agreement concerning X. Intercorrelation of the ratings indicated that Ss tended to regard as unpleasant the same situations that they regarded as tension provoking. Tension and pleasantness ratings correlated less with the consistency ratings than with each other. There was evidence that the pleasantness and tension ratings were based more on attraction (i.e., the sign of the P-O bond) than on agreement or balance. Balance was, however, the more important factor when Ss rated for consistency. Findings indicate that (a) balance related more directly to the cognitive than to the affective component of social perception; (b) dependent measures based on affect seemed inappropriate to F. Heider's theory; and (c) when an appropriate cognitive task is employed, contrary to T. Newcomb's predictions, balance effects emerged for both P-O positive and negative sentiment bonds. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)