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Self and other obedience estimates: biases and moderators.
Glenn Geher1, Kathleen P Bauman, Sara Elizabeth Kay Hubbard
1Department of Pychology, State University of New York, New Paltz 12561, USA. geherg@newpaltz.edu
The Journal of Social Psychology
|November 27, 2002
Summary
Participants perceive their own behavior differently from others, a bias influenced by academic interests. Criminal justice majors showed less self-other bias in obedience perceptions compared to other majors.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Milgram's obedience experiments reveal situational influences on behavior.
- Social psychology highlights fundamental lessons like dispositionism and self-other biases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate self-other behavior perception biases in hypothetical Milgram obedience experiment replications.
- To explore how academic interests and worldview moderate these social-perceptual biases.
Main Methods:
- Study 1 manipulated participants' knowledge of Milgram's results.
- Study 2 compared obedience estimates between criminal justice and non-criminal justice majors.
Main Results:
- Both studies confirmed social and perceptual biases, including the self-other bias.
- Criminal justice majors exhibited higher self-other obedience estimates and a smaller discrepancy than non-majors.
- This suggests criminal justice students demonstrated the self-other bias less.
Conclusions:
- Specific social-perceptual biases, like the self-other bias, can be moderated by career interests and worldview.
- Academic focus may influence how individuals perceive their own and others' behavior in obedience contexts.