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Avoidance of the handicapped: an attributional ambiguity analysis
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|December 1, 1979
Summary
This study reveals a method to uncover hidden motives by presenting choices. People are more likely to act on subconscious avoidance of the handicapped when it can be disguised as another preference, like choosing a movie.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Detecting concealed motives is challenging.
- Subconscious biases can influence decision-making.
- Social desirability can mask true preferences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a general strategy for detecting hidden motives.
- To investigate the motive of avoiding physically handicapped individuals.
- To test if this avoidance is more likely when disguised.
Main Methods:
- A choice-based strategy was employed, presenting participants with two alternatives.
- One alternative subtly satisfied the concealed motive.
- Counterbalancing was used to isolate the motive's influence.
Main Results:
- Participants were more likely to avoid the physically handicapped when the decision was masked.
- This avoidance occurred when the choice was framed as a preference between two movies.
- The findings suggest avoidance of the handicapped can masquerade as other preferences.
Conclusions:
- The choice-based strategy effectively reveals concealed motives.
- Socially undesirable motives, like avoiding the handicapped, are acted upon when disguised.
- Understanding disguised decision-making is crucial in social psychology.