Effect of superfluous deterrence on the perception of others

T. D. Wilson and G. D. Lassiter (1982, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 811–819) established that superfluous deterrence could lead to undesirable changes in a person's self-perception. The present research extends their findings by demonstrating that superfluous deterrence can have a detrimental effect on the perception of others as well. In the first study, 57 undergraduates read one of three accounts of an actor who did not cheat in a situation in which there was no intrinsic reason to do so. In one account a severe deterrent against cheating was mentioned, in a second a mild deterrent against cheating was mentioned, and in the third no deterrent against cheating was mentioned. Subjects in the severe-deterrent condition subsequently perceived the actor to be more likely to cheat in a future constraint-free situation than did subjects in the mild-deterrent condition who, in turn, perceived the actor to be more likely to cheat than did subjects in the no-deterrent condition. A mediation analysis provided strong evidence that this effect was a consequence of attributional processes. That is, when external constraints were mentioned, subjects discounted internal reasons for why the actor did not cheat, thereby causing them to perceive him as more inclined to cheat in a subsequent constraint-free situation. Study 2 replicated these results and ruled out alternative interpretations. Theoretical and practical implications of the present research are discussed.