The influence of different negative feedback on the decay of self-deception

Though some studies have found the positive influences of moderate self-deception on individuals and society, there are many that have shown its negative influences on individuals and society. Long-term self-deception will have negative influences which could cause high individual losses and even social disasters. Therefore, it is essential to abate the decay of self-deception to avoid its negative influences and help individuals to better monitor themselves.

In this research, we explored the impact of various types of negative feedback on the decay of self-deception using a forward-looking paradigm with three conditions: no-feedback, ambiguous negative feedback, and real negative feedback. The experiment under each condition was tested four times. The negative feedback was provided after Tests 2 and 3.

The results indicated that, in Test 1 of both Experiments 1 and 2, the answer group demonstrated notably stronger positive beliefs and a higher propensity for cheating compared to the control group. Additionally, self-deception was more pronounced under the no-feedback than under the negative feedback in the subsequent three tests. Furthermore, the condition of ambiguous negative feedback led to greater self-deception in the final three tests compared to the condition of real negative feedback in Experiment 2. The results also revealed that self-deception gradually diminished with real feedback in the answer group.

The findings showed that both ambiguous and real negative feedback reduce self-deception, although real negative feedback having a greater effect than ambiguous feedback. Additionally, the reduction of self-deception was fundamentally related to a decrease in unrealistic positive beliefs, and this decline in self-deception was also influenced by monetary rewards.