Biases in social comparative judgments: The role of nonmotivated factors in above-average and comparative-optimism effects

Chambers, John R.; Windschitl, Paul D.

doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.5.813

Cited by 547Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsSocial and Intergroup PsychologyOptimism, Hope, and Well-being

Biases in social comparative judgments: The role of nonmotivated factors in above-average and comparative-optimism effects

Chambers, John R., Windschitl, Paul D.·2004·Psychological Bulletin

DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.130.5.813

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Abstract

Biases in social comparative judgments, such as those illustrated by above-average and comparative-optimism effects, are often regarded as products of motivated reasoning (e.g., self-enhancement). These effects, however, can also be produced by information-processing limitations or aspects of judgment processes that are not necessarily biased by motivational factors. In this article, the authors briefly review motivational accounts of biased comparative judgments, introduce a 3-stage model for understanding how people make comparative judgments, and then describe how various nonmotivational factors can influence the 3 stages of the comparative judgment process. Finally, the authors discuss several unresolved issues highlighted by their analysis, such as the interrelation between motivated and nonmotivated sources of bias and the influence of nonmotivated sources of bias on behavior.

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Healthy adults maintain inherently positive or inflated self-views and report having more positive and less negative attributes than others (above average effect).
“These findings align with previous work positing that healthy adults maintain inherently positive or inflated self-views (4, 32) and report having more positive and less negative attributes than others, known as the “above average effect” (6, 33).”
From Development of self-protective biases in response to social evaluative feedback (2017) · cites this paper as [33]

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“…then use these idiosyncratic trait definitions when judging others, sometimes in ways that produce self-favoring comparative trait judgments (Beauregard & Dunning, 1998, 2001; Dunning & Cohen, 1992; Dunning & McElwee, 1995; Dunning et al., 1991; McElwee, Dunning, Tan, & Hollman, 2001; Story…”
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Authors: Chambers, J. R., & Windschitl, P. D.
Affiliations: University of Iowa (US)
ORCID: Windschitl, Paul D.
Venue: Psychological Bulletin
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2004
Volume: 130
Issue: 5
Pages: 813-838
ISSN: 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
1939-1455
DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.5.813
OpenAlex: W2033377303
Cited by: 547
References: 162
Citations by year: 2026: 9 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 27
FWCI: 14.47
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
Keywords: above-average effect, motivated reasoning, self-enhancement, information processing limitations, judgment bias
MeSH terms: Affect, Humans, Judgment, Motivation, Self Concept

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Biases in social comparative judgments: The role of nonmotivated factors in above-average and comparative-optimism effects

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