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Related Concept Videos

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification03:00

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification01:17

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Self-verification is a fundamental psychological drive wherein individuals seek affirmation of their self-concept from others, striving for consistency between their internal self-view and external perceptions. This drive operates even when the self-concept is negative, influencing interpersonal behavior and feedback preferences in complex and often counterintuitive ways. Unlike the self-enhancement motive, which seeks positive evaluations, self-verification prioritizes coherence and...
Self-Serving Bias01:29

Self-Serving Bias

Self-serving bias is a cognitive phenomenon in which individuals attribute positive outcomes to internal factors such as their abilities, intelligence, or effort while attributing negative outcomes to external circumstances. This cognitive distortion helps maintain self-esteem but can also impede objective self-assessment.Theoretical Explanations of Self-Serving BiasTwo primary theories explain the self-serving bias: the cognitive explanation and the motivational explanation.The cognitive...
Confirmation Biases01:31

Confirmation Biases

The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
Motivational Bias01:25

Motivational Bias

Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

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People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...

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The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
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How Preferences For Eager Versus Vigilant Judgment Strategies Affect Self-Serving Conclusions.

Daniel C Molden1, E Tory Higgins

  • 1Northwestern University.

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
|September 4, 2009
PubMed
Summary

People

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Individuals often exhibit self-serving biases in judgment.
  • Judgment strategies can influence the manifestation of these biases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how preferences for eager (promotion-focused) versus vigilant (prevention-focused) judgment strategies impact self-serving explanations for success and failure.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies examined participants' preferences for eager or vigilant strategies.
  • These preferences were correlated with how participants explained their performance outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Vigilant strategists selectively endorsed fewer, self-serving explanations.
  • Eager strategists endorsed multiple explanations more evenly, showing reduced self-serving tendencies.

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  • Eager strategists also demonstrated less self-serving predictions for future performance.

    • Conclusions:

    • Preference for vigilant strategies leads to more pronounced self-serving bias.
    • Preference for eager strategies attenuates self-serving bias in explanations and predictions.
    • Strategic preferences play a significant role in shaping judgment outcomes.