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Self-evaluation of social ability: An action identification analysis

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Date Issued:
1991
Summary:
A critical discrepancy in the self-evaluation literature concerns whether self-uncertainty leads to accurate or biased self-evaluations. After discussing the prior research which has rendered this discrepancy, I propose an experiment to reach a resolution to the discrepancy. Principles of action identification theory are used in proposing that the link between self-uncertainty and self-evaluation is moderated by the amount of evaluative threat inherent to the situation in which the self-evaluation is taking place. The experiment established that subjects who are induced to identify their actions in low level terms are more likely to exhibit biases when pursuing self-evaluations of their social ability, with the biases manifested in these subjects' preferences to be evaluated in non-diagnostic ways. The implications of this general finding and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Title: Self-evaluation of social ability: An action identification analysis.
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Name(s): Kingree, Jeffrey Brooks
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Vallacher, Robin R., Thesis advisor
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Psychology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1991
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, FL
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 68 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: A critical discrepancy in the self-evaluation literature concerns whether self-uncertainty leads to accurate or biased self-evaluations. After discussing the prior research which has rendered this discrepancy, I propose an experiment to reach a resolution to the discrepancy. Principles of action identification theory are used in proposing that the link between self-uncertainty and self-evaluation is moderated by the amount of evaluative threat inherent to the situation in which the self-evaluation is taking place. The experiment established that subjects who are induced to identify their actions in low level terms are more likely to exhibit biases when pursuing self-evaluations of their social ability, with the biases manifested in these subjects' preferences to be evaluated in non-diagnostic ways. The implications of this general finding and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Identifier: 14728 (digitool), FADT14728 (IID), fau:11519 (fedora)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1991.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Intentionalism
Self
Social psychology
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14728
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.