| Abstract: | The present study was designed to investigate systematically various explanations focusing on information bias, information-processing bias, self-determination, false-consensus bias, quest for positive regard, and self-presentation strategies, that have been suggested for the Jones—Nisbett (1971) proposition that people describe their own behaviour as relatively more influenced by situational factors as compared to the actions of others. To test the scope and generality of this self—other asymmetry, a new methodology was introduced. Using Stimulus-Response Inventories of Hostility and Friendliness, the effects of different degrees of familiarity with target persons, of positivity—negativity of behaviours, and of the public—private nature of the rating context, were studied. Generalizability coefficients were used as indices for a dispositional and a situationist view on personality. The results support only explanations in terms of information-processing bias and self-determination strivings. Implications of this finding for the conceptualization of self-judgments and other-judgments are discussed. |
