Self-Serving Biases
• Self-serving Cognitions
• False Consensus

False Consensus
Statement Agree Disagree
I sweat very easily on cool days
I enjoy reading love stories
I would like to be a singer
Most people would lie to get ahead 66
I am a very sociable person 65
44
53
57
29
47
40
48
59

Self-Serving Biases
• Self-serving Cognitions
• False Consensus
• False Uniqueness
• Overestimation of Controbutions and Abilities - Ross &
Sicoly
• Explanations of success and failure; attributions for performance on exams
• Basking in Reflected Glory

Basking in Reflected Glory After Success and
Failure
40
20
0
80
60
Positive No
Feedback
Negative

Self-Serving Biases
• Self-serving Cognitions
• False Consensus
• False Uniqueness
• Overestimation of Controbutions and Abilities - Ross &
Sicoly
• Explanations of success and failure; attributions for performance on exams
• Basking in Reflected Glory
• What do people wear after the game
• We won; They lost
• Self-Handicapping
• just give me an excuse

An Excuse for a Bad Test
4
3
2
1
No Noise
Important Test
Noise
Unimportant Test

Temporal Comparisons and the Self
Wilson and Ross
• A Theory of Temporal
Comparisons - Derogating our past selves and bringing our glory days closer
• Wilson & Ross - Study 3
• Rated themselves on + and - traits in September
• Rerated themselves in
November and asked to remember their
September rating
6.5
6.0
5.5
Sept. Rating Nov. Rating Sept. Memory