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Cited by 1,180Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorDecision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsSocial and Intergroup Psychology

Error management theory: A new perspective on biases in cross-sex mind reading

Haselton, Martie G., Buss, David M.·2000·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0022-3514.78.1.81
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Abstract

A new theory of cognitive biases, called error management theory (EMT), proposes that psychological mechanisms are designed to be predictably biased when the costs of false-positive and false-negative errors were asymmetrical over evolutionary history. This theory explains known phenomena such as men's overperception of women's sexual intent, and it predicts new biases in social inference such as women's underestimation of men's commitment. In Study 1 (N = 217), the authors documented the commitment underperception effect predicted by EMT. In Study 2 (N = 289), the authors replicated the commitment bias and documented a condition in which men's sexual overperception bias is corrected. Discussion contrasts EMT with the heuristics and biases approach and suggests additional testable hypotheses based on EMT.

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  • Error Management Theory (EMT) suggests that natural selection has designed psychological mechanisms to regulate, and potentially bias, judgments and behavior in a way that minimizes costs.

    “Error Management Theory (EMT) suggests that natural selection has designed psychological mechanisms to regulate, and potentially bias, judgments and behavior in a way that minimizes costs [36].”

    From Does Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem Play a Role in the Stress to Impaired Control Pathway to Alcohol-Related Problems in a College Student Sample? (2023) · cites this paper as [36]

  • Evolved cognitive mechanisms may produce occasional false belief as a result of asymmetries in the costs associated with different errors.

    “evolved cognitive mechanisms may produce occasional false belief as a result of asymmetries in the costs associated with different errors (Haselton and Buss 2000)”

    From Natural Selection Does Care about Truth (2014) · cites this paper as Haselton and Buss 2000

  • Response bias may suggest a tendency towards a liberal criterion for detecting threat or a strict criterion for detecting non-threat.

    “Therefore, response bias may suggest a tendency towards a liberal criterion for detecting threat or a strict criterion for detecting non‐threat (Haselton & Buss, 2000).”

    From Mistrust and negative self‐esteem: Two paths from attachment styles to paranoia. (2021) · cites this paper as Haselton & Buss, 2000

  • The findings suggest a tendency towards a liberal criterion for initiating a threat-related response.

    “This finding suggests a tendency towards a liberal criterion for initiating a threat‐related response (e.g., perceiving a trustworthy face as untrustworthy; Correll et al., 2002; Haselton & Buss, 2000)”

    From Mistrust and negative self‐esteem: Two paths from attachment styles to paranoia. (2021) · cites this paper as Haselton & Buss, 2000

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Authors
Haselton, M. G., & Buss, D. M.
Affiliations
The University of Texas at Austin (US)
ORCID
Buss, David M.
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2000
Volume
78
Issue
1
Pages
81-91
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/0022-3514.78.1.81
OpenAlex
W2126976479
Cited by
1,180
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 55 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 94 · 2020: 80 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 56 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 58 · 2015: 68 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 42 · 2012: 57
FWCI
12.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Keywords
error management theory, cognitive biases, social inference, false positives and false negatives, evolutionary psychology, heuristics and biases, gender differences
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Female, Gender Identity, Humans, Judgment, Male, Motivation, Nuclear Family, Prejudice, Sexual Behavior, Sex Characteristics, Social Perception, Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic

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