The typical student as an in‐group member: eliminating optimistic bias by reducing social distance

While demonstrations of optimistic bias are plentiful, successful attempts at eliminating the bias (debiasing) are rare. The current study attempted to debias by reducing the perceived social distance between the self and the typical own university student. Using self‐categorisation theory, it was predicted that rating the out‐group target (the typical student at another university) before the in‐group one would reduce the perceived social distance between the self and the latter and lead to a reduction in optimistic bias. Both predictions were supported, with optimistic bias being eliminated for negative events and attenuated for positive events. In the standard optimistic bias condition (in‐group first) optimistic bias was obtained for both negative and positive events. The findings provide support for perceived social distance in determining optimistic bias. The implications for recent arguments that comparisons with an abstract target automatically evoke an ‘I am better than average’ heuristic or necessarily entail the use of distributional judgmental frameworks are explored. Whilst the automatic linking of abstract targets with heuristic or distributional thinking is called into question, a case is made for integrating these ideas with the self‐categorisation approach. Where practitioners aim to reduce optimistic bias, the findings suggest promoting the perception of the target as a fellow in‐group member may help do so. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Academic optimistic bias: Implications for college student performance and well-being

Although optimism has several benefits, there are potential drawbacks associated with “too much of a good thing”. Within an academic context, a possible determinant of the adaptiveness of optimistic bias is whether students have a sense of control over academic outcomes: optimistically-biased (OB) achievement expectations paired with perceptions of academic control may enhance performance and well-being; optimistic bias in the absence of perceived control may result in disappointment, poor performance, and diminished well-being. The current longitudinal study examined academic control cognitions (ACC) among OB college students (n = 319) versus non-optimistically biased (non-OB) students (n = 321). We also examined the effects of academic optimistic bias on composite measures of college performance (perceived success, final psychology course grades, cumulative GPA, course attrition) and well-being (positive and negative emotions, health behaviors, future optimism) 6 months later; and determined whether ACC accounted for those associations. Significant MANCOVAs showed OB students had greater ACC, better subsequent well-being, and outperformed their non-OB counterparts. These well-being and performance differences remained significant after statistically accounting for initial aptitude and ACC. Overall, academic optimistic bias was accompanied by perceived controllability over scholastic outcomes, yet beyond the effects of ACC, optimistic bias was associated with better year-end performance and well-being. Findings have implications for maximizing the successful transition of first-year college students.     

News of Y2K and Experiencing Y2K: Exploring the Relationship Between the Third-Person Effect and Optimistic Bias

This study gauged Americans' beliefs about predicted Y2K problems during the weeks before New Year 2000. It examined the alleged relationship between the third-person effect and the social psychological theory of optimistic bias. The third-person effect predicts that people judge themselves less influenced than others by media messages. To explain the effect, some media researchers have drawn on optimistic bias, which posits that people judge themselves less likely than others to experience negative life events. Few researchers, however, have directly tested the empirical relationship between the two perceptual approaches. As hypothesized, respondents judged themselves less influenced than others by news reports about Y2K (third-person perception) and less likely than others to experience Y2K problems (optimistic bias). But the study did not find the hypothesized relationship between the approaches. Furthermore, third-person perception and optimistic bias were functions of mirror opposite blocks of predictors. The findings indicate that third-person perception is not merely a media case study of optimistic bias. We suggested that people use different criteria to estimate experiencing events and believing media messages about the events.     

Are we looking for positivity or similarity in a partner's outlook on life? Similarity predicts perceptions of social attractiveness and relationship quality

Previous research has shown that people with an optimistic life orientation are perceived as socially more attractive than pessimists. However, following the similarity-attraction hypothesis, we assumed that both the perceiver's and the target's life orientation affects perceptions of social attractiveness. Moreover, we were interested in how the composition of romantic partners’ life orientation (similar vs. dissimilar) affects perceived relationship quality. The results of an experimental online study (N?=?316) confirmed previous findings: Overall, optimists were perceived as socially more attractive than pessimists. Furthermore, perceivers’ life orientation moderated that effect, which was larger with optimistic than with pessimistic perceivers. Moreover, with respect to ongoing relationships optimistic participants indicated higher relationship quality if they perceived their partners as similarly optimistic. The findings are in line with the similarity-attraction hypothesis. They are discussed with regard to the benefits of optimism in social interactions and relationships.     

Dual relational model of perceived overqualification: Employee's self‐concept and task performance

Drawing upon self‐representation theory and using a relationship perspective, we constructed a dual‐path‐moderated mediation model to examine the relationship between employees’ perceived overqualification and task performance. We tested this model with data from a sample of 242 subordinate‐supervisor dyads in Shanghai, China. The results suggested that perceived overqualification had a negative indirect effect on task performance through perceived insider status (PIS), and popularity moderated the negative association between perceived overqualification and PIS. In addition, the relationship between perceived overqualification and task performance via organization‐based self‐esteem was positive when supervisor‐subordinate guanxi was high but negative when it was low. The implications, limitations, and future research directions of these findings are discussed.     

环境因素对流动儿童歧视知觉的影响及群体态度的调节作用

采用整班联系、自愿参加的方式,选取北京市海淀、朝阳、昌平三个区的1350名流动儿童为被试,采用歧视知觉问卷、家庭社会经济地位问卷、班级环境气氛量表以及群体态度测验,考察家庭经济环境和学校班级环境对流动儿童歧视知觉的影响,并进一步探讨群体态度对它们关系的影响作用。结果表明:(1)家庭社会经济地位、老师支持和同学支持对于个体和群体歧视知觉具有显著的负向影响,同时,班级内聚力对于个体歧视知觉、满意程度对于群体歧视知觉也存在显著的负向影响。(2)同学支持对于个体歧视知觉的负向预测作用更为重要,老师支持则对群体歧视知觉的负向预测作用更为重要。(3)对于群体态度不同的流动儿童,环境因素对其个体和群体歧视知觉的作用存在一定差异。在个体歧视知觉方面,同学支持是态度中立组和态度偏城市儿童组的最佳预测因素,班级内聚力则是态度偏流动儿童组的最佳预测因素;在群体歧视知觉方面,老师支持对于群体态度不同组均表现出最为重要的预测作用。     

儿童期虐待对大学生公正世界信念的影响:有调节的中介模型

为探讨儿童期虐待对公正世界信念的作用及心理机制,本研究采用问卷法对929名大学生进行了调查,并采用潜变量模型对数据进行了分析。结果发现:(1)儿童期虐待显著负向预测大学生公正世界信念;(2)控制感在儿童期虐待与公正世界信念之间起完全中介作用;(3)家庭社会经济地位调节了儿童期虐待与控制感的关系,高家庭社会经济地位放大了儿童期虐待与控制感间的负相关。研究结果表明,可以通过预防儿童虐待和增强控制感等干预措施来提升公正世界信念,并且需要对高社会经济地位家庭的儿童虐待加大关注。     

Perceived control over development and subjective well-being: differential benefits across adulthood

The relationship between perceived control over development (PCD) and subjective well-being (SWB) across adulthood was examined in 3 studies. In Study 1, with 480 adults aged between 20 and 90 years, PCD was closely related to SWB. Chronological age moderated the associations between PCD and SWB beyond individual differences in health, intelligence, social support, and socioeconomic status. In the longitudinal Study 2, with 42 older adults, strong PCD was associated with increased positive affect only when desirable events had occurred previously. In Study 3, older adults experienced greater satisfaction when attributing attainment of developmental goals to their ability, whereas younger adults were more satisfied when attributing such successes to their own efforts. Findings point to adaptive adjustments of control perceptions to age-related actual control potentials across adulthood.     

解释水平视角下的乐观偏差效应

研究基于解释水平理论,考查心理距离对乐观偏差效应的影响。实验从心理距离的事件概率维度、时间距离维度、空间距离维度入手,采用自编的材料对677名被试进行测量,探讨心理距离的远近对乐观偏差产生的影响。结果表明,被试对未来生活事件的判断存在总体上的乐观偏差。在较远的心理距离条件下,被试表现出更大的乐观偏差;而在较近的心理距离中,乐观偏差效应明显减小。但在时间距离维度以及消极事件的概率维度上,表现出与总体乐观偏差不一致的现象。     

Altered processing of health threat words as a function of hypochondriacal tendencies and experimentally manipulated control beliefs

Attentional biases associated with various forms of psychopathology have been well documented. Few studies, however, have assessed the factors that moderate these biases. The present paper assesses the biased processing of health words as a function of hypochondriacal tendencies during a threat of bioterrorism (anthrax), and whether perceived control can moderate those biases. Based on a sample of 328 participants, hypochondriacal tendencies were associated with slower reaction times on a modified emotional Stroop task when the stimulus words were anthrax-related, and this effect was moderated by a manipulation of perceived control. Specifically, individuals with low perceived control over the health threat had greater attentional bias of anthrax infection, independent of related variables such as anxiety.     

Depressive symptoms are associated with unrealistic negative predictions of future life events

This study examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and bias in the prediction of future life events. Responding to internet announcements, 153 participants varying widely in self-reported depression symptom severity estimated the probability of 40 events occurring over the succeeding 30 days. After the 30-day period, participants reported which events occurred. Optimistic/pessimistic biases were related to level of depressive symptoms. A non-significant optimistic bias characterized participants with low depressive symptoms whereas a significant pessimistic bias characterized participants with high depressive symptoms. Those reporting mild symptoms did not exhibit a systematic pessimistic or optimistic bias. General imprecision in predictions for undesirable events was associated with depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that depression is associated with pessimistic bias rather than accuracy in judgment.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Perceived Personal Gender Discrimination: A Study of Solicitors in Hong Kong

Informed by social identity theory, we developed a model to examine the antecedents and consequences of perceptions of personal gender discrimination. In the model, gender, gender identity, and perceived gender bias against women are considered as salient predictors of perceived personal gender discrimination, and organizational commitment and intentions to leave are considered as the outcome variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data collected from a sample of practicing solicitors in Hong Kong. We found that (a) women perceived more personal gender discrimination and gender bias against women than did men, (b) gender moderated the relationship between perceived gender bias against women and perceived personal gender discrimination, (c) the positive effect of gender bias against women on gender discrimination was more strongly positive for women than for men, and (d) perceived personal gender discrimination affected organizational commitment and intentions to leave. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

内部人身份感知对员工创新行为的影响——创新自我效能感和遵从权威的作用

通过对325名员工及其领导的配对问卷调查,探讨内部人身份感知对员工创新行为的作用机制。研究发现:内部人身份感知与创新行为显著正相关;内部人身份感知与创新自我效能感显著正相关;创新自我效能感部分中介了内部人身份感知对创新行为的影响;遵从权威对创新自我效能感与创新行为之间的关系具有负向调节作用;遵从权威调节了创新自我效能感在内部人身份感知与创新行为之间的中介作用。     

Automatic optimism: Biased use of base rate information for positive and negative events

People generally judge that positive events will occur in their lives and negative events will not, even when both events have the same objective likelihood to occur. In four studies, we examined the possibility that this optimistic bias is the result of people’s automatic affective reactions to future events. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate, in two different contexts, that people are consistently optimistic in their predictions, despite identical base rates for positive and negative events. In Study 2, optimistic bias was not influenced by incentives for motivated reasoning or rewards for accuracy, suggesting that bias was the result of automatic processes. Studies 3 and 4 showed that optimistic bias was more pronounced when predictions were speeded and when participants made predictions after exposure to affectively valenced words. Together, these findings suggest that people optimistically interpret base rates and that this optimism is due to an effortless affective process.     

Image theory and career aspirations: Indirect and interactive effects of status-related variables

The present study applied Image Theory (Beach, 1990) to test how different components of a person's value image (i.e., perceived social status identity and conformity to masculine and feminine gender role norms) interact to influence trajectories toward high career aspirations (i.e., high value for status in one's work and aspirations for advancement and achievement in one's career). Results from 224 undergraduate students demonstrated that value for status in work mediated the relationship between perceived social status and career aspirations. Conformity to feminine, but not masculine, gender role norms moderated the relationship between perceived status and value for status in work. Conformity to feminine norms also moderated the indirect relationship between perceived status and aspirations via value for status in work, yielding a pattern of moderated mediation.     

领悟社会支持对青少年生活满意度的影响

采用问卷法调查了1319名青少年,探讨了领悟社会支持对感恩与青少年生活满意度之间关系的中介效应以及压力性生活事件对此中介效应是否具有调节效应。结果发现：（1）领悟社会支持在感恩与青少年生活满意度之间起着部分中介作用;（2）领悟社会支持的中介作用受到压力性生活事件的调节,压力性生活事件调节了感恩 领悟社会支持 生活满意度这一中介过程的后半路径。因此,领悟社会支持对青少年生活满意度的影响是有调节的中介效应。研究结论对提高青少年的生活满意度具有重要的理论价值和参考价值。     

吸烟者感知吸烟社会规范与社交性吸烟行为的关系：身份认同和关系观的作用

考察吸烟者身份认同和关系观在感知吸烟社会规范与社交性吸烟行为关系中的作用。对1016名吸烟者进行问卷调查,结果表明：（1）感知吸烟社会规范显著正向预测社交性吸烟;（2）身份认同对感知吸烟社会规范和社交性吸烟关系起部分中介作用;（3）关系观正向调节感知吸烟社会规范和社交性吸烟的关系,而对感知吸烟社会规范和身份认同关系的调节不显著。研究支持了感知吸烟社会规范影响社交性吸烟的身份认同机制和文化价值观调节机制。     

大学生对一般生活事件和意外事故的乐观和悲观偏差估计：直接和间接测量的比较

研究考查了大学生对一般生活事件和意外事故的乐观与悲观偏差,并检验不同测量方法是否会产生不同结果。通过对273名大学生进行问卷研究,结果发现：（1）在直接和间接测量时,被试对一般消极事件、意外事故存在乐观偏差,对幸免于意外事故存在悲观偏差;但对一般积极事件,被试在直接测量时出现乐观偏差,在间接测量时为悲观偏差。（2）在两种方法中,被试对意外事故的乐观偏差皆高于一般消极事件,但一般积极事件与幸免于意外事故的结果在直接测量时有显著差异,而在间接测量中差异不显著。（3）在直接测量时,消极事件的发生频率越低乐观偏差越严重,积极事件的发生频率越低则悲观偏差越严重;在间接测量中事件频率与偏差结果相关不显著。     

Supervisor–Subordinate Relationship,Differentiation, and Employee Creativity: A Self‐Categorization Perspective

This study seeks to explore the effect of the quality of supervisor–subordinate relationship (i.e., leader–member exchange; LMX) on employee creativity by examining a moderated‐mediation model. The model focuses on the mediating role of perceived insider status and the moderating role of perceived LMX differentiation in influencing the mediation. Using a time‐lagged research design, we collected data from 358 supervisor–subordinate dyads in a large Chinese diversified company. As predicated, we found that (a) perceived insider status mediated the positive relationship between LMX and employee creativity; and (b) perceived LMX differentiation moderated the strength of the mediated relationship between LMX and employee creativity via perceived insider status, such that the mediated relationship is stronger under high‐perceived LMX differentiation than under low‐perceived LMX differentiation.     

DO FEMINIST IDENTITY STYLES MODERATE THE RELATION BETWEEN PERCEIVED SEXIST EVENTS AND DISORDERED EATING?

Feminist consciousness is theorized to be a powerful resource against the detrimental effects of sexism. The present study examined whether feminist identity styles moderated the relation of perceived lifetime and recent sexist events to disordered eating for 256 college women. Using hierarchical moderated regression, we found two styles of feminist identity (i.e., synthesis and active commitment) buffered the relation between perceived sexist events and disordered eating; the three remaining styles of feminist identity did not moderate this relationship. For women low on synthesis and active commitment, both perceived lifetime and recent sexist events positively predicted disordered eating. In contrast, for women high on synthesis and active commitment, neither perceived lifetime nor recent sexist events predicted disordered eating. Our results substantiate extant theory that sexist events contribute more to the psychological distress of nonfeminist women than of feminist women.