Ten years of research on the false-consensus effect: An empirical and theoretical review.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 103(1) of Psychological Bulletin (see record 2008-10686-001). The block quotation on page 73 should be attributed to Crocker (1981). The two sentences immediately preceding this quotation should read: 'Friendship groups typically exhibit a high degree of internal similarity with respect to members' beliefs, attitudes, values, and interests. Crocker (1981) reported the following:".] Ten years of research on the false-consensus effect (Ross, Greene, & House, 1977) and related biases in social perception (e.g., assumed similarity and overestimation of consensus) are examined in the light of four general theoretical perspectives: (a) selective exposure and cognitive availability, (b) salience and focus of attention, (c) logical information processing, and (d) motivational processes. The findings indicate that these biases are influenced by a host of variables and that no single explanation can account for the range of data. Instead, each theoretical perspective appears to have its own domain of application, albeit with some degree of overlap into other domains. The data further suggest that two or more specific mechanisms may operate simultaneously or in concert to produce assumed similarity and false-consensus effects. Discussion focuses on identifying the process or sets of processes operating in specific situations. We identify several gaps in the knowledge of mediating relationships and suggest directions for future research. We also discuss issues related to definition and measurement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Perceptual and memorial constructs in children's judgments of quantity: A law of across-representation invariance": Correction to Wolf and Algom (1987).

Reports an error in "Perceptual and memorial constructs in children's judgments of quantity: A law of across-representation invariance" by Yuval Wolf and Daniel Algom (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1987[Dec], Vol 116[4], 381-397). The sentence found on p. 381, right-hand column, line 15, was printed incorrectly. The corrected statement is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1988-07144-001.) Children at three different ages made judgments of physically presented (perceptual estimation) or symbolically represented (memorial estimation) rectangles. Height and width were integrated according to different, age-dependent algebraic rules. Memorial data obeyed the same integration rules that operated in the original perceptual judgments even when younger children and older children used completely different combination models. Valuation operations were the same in perception and memory for the youngest group (6-year-olds) but became discriminably different at older ages (for the 8- and 10-year-olds). Three additional experiments on judgments of volume, liquid quantity, and visual length yielded strong cross-validation support for the general invariance claim (with respect to integration rule theory) but less strong support for the specific invariance claim (with respect to valuation function for the 6-year-old subjects). Results are interpreted as demonstrating lawful and long-enduring ecological constraints on internal representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The role of reinforcement symmetry and stimulus modality in successive delayed matching to sample in the rat": Correction.

Reports an error in "The role of reinforcement symmetry and stimulus modality in successive delayed matching to sample in the rat" by J. S. Cohen, M. Escott and P. Ricciardi (Canadian Journal of Psychology Revue Canadienne de Psychologie, 1984[Mar], Vol 38[1], 63-79). The last six words of the legend for Figure 1 should read "in the replication of Experiment 1." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-05863-001.) 20 male Wister albino rats were trained and tested in asymmetrically and symmetrically reinforced successive delayed matching to sample (DMTS) tasks. The only difference between these discrimination problems was that correct omission of a leverpress to the test stimulus (S?), differing from the sample stimulus (S?), was reinforced in the symmetrically reinforced DMTS. Response biases during tests for retention of S? were reduced in the symmetrically reinforced DMTS. Greater losses in retention occurred to the visual than to the auditory S?. For the auditory S?, reduced response biases in the symmetrically reinforced DMTS led to reduced losses in S? retention scores over increased retention intervals. Methodological and theoretical implications are discussed in terms of the theory of signal detection. (French abstract) (28 ref). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Space-time behavior of single and bimanual rhythmical movements: Data and limit cycle model": Correction to Kay et al.

Reports an error in "Space–time behavior of single and bimanual rhythmical movements: Data and limit cycle model" by B. A. Kay, J. A. Kelso, E. L. Saltzman and G. Sch?ner (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1987[May], Vol 13[2], 178-192). In the aforementioned article, there was an error in Equation A3 of Appendix A. The corrected equation is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1987-23926-001.) Earlier findings for human cyclical movements were consistent with a nonlinear, limit cycle oscillator model (Kelso, Holt, Rubin, & Kugler, 1981) although no detailed modeling was performed at that time. In the present study, kinematic data were sampled at 200 samples/second, and a detailed analysis of movement amplitude, frequency, peak velocity, and relative phase was performed. As frequency was scaled from 1 to 6 Hz (in steps of 1 Hz) using a pacing metronome, amplitude dropped inversely and peak velocity increased. Within a frequency condition, the movement's amplitude scaled directly with its peak velocity. These diverse kinematic behaviors were modeled explicitly in terms of low-dimensional (nonlinear) dissipative dynamics, with linear stiffness as the only control parameter. Data and model are shown to compare favorably. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Children's Depression Inventory: Construct and discriminant validity across clinical and nonreferred (control) populations": Correction to Carey et al.

Reports an error in "Children's Depression Inventory: Construct and discriminant validity across clinical and nonreferred (control) populations" by Michael P. Carey, Michael E. Faulstich, Frank M. Gresham, Laurie Ruggiero and Patience Enyart (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1987[Oct], Vol 55[5], 755-761). An error occurred in Table 3. Specifically, for the three-factor solutions, the coefficient of congruence between the first factor of the combined sample and the first (rather than the second) factor of the nonreferred sample should read "93." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1988-06332-001.) The construct and discriminant validity of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) was evaluated for a large child and adolescent sample of clinical inpatients (n?=?153) and demographically comparable nonreferred subjects (n?=?153). Principal component analyses of the overall sample, using separate groups of clinical and nonreferred samples, found two- and three-factor models with optimal simple structure and clinical meaningfulness. These factors characterized Depressive Affect, Oppositional Behavior, and Personal Adjustment. The first two factors exhibited adequate internal consistency and correspondence across samples, whereas the third factor was strongest for nonreferred subjects. All three factor scores entered a significant discriminant function and correctly classified most nonreferred and clinical subjects. However, only Depressive Affect and Oppositional Behavior entered into the discriminant function that distinguished depressive and conduct-disorder subjects from nonreferred subjects. The percentage of nonreferred subjects who were correctly categorized ranged from 70.4 to 71.6, whereas the percentage of correctly classified clinical subjects ranged from 25 to 60. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpreting the negative mood-helping literature via "mega"-analysis: A contrary view.

"Mega"-analysis was developed by M. Carlson and N. Miller (see record 1987-31249-001) as an extension of traditional meta-analytic procedures for conducting integrative reviews of existing research literatures. One such mega-analysis was conducted by Carlson and Miller to synthesize the literature on the relation between negative mood states and helping. That analysis found no support for a theoretical account (negative state relief) that had been confirmed previously by using various experimental approaches. In an attempt to reconcile the discrepancy, the logic and methods used in Carlson and Miller's mega-analysis of the negative mood-helping literature were examined, and several serious problems were found. These problems are discussed, and data are presented to show that the results of that mega-analysis, and perhaps all mega-analyses, should not be viewed with confidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Incidental concept learning, feature frequency, and correlated properties": Correction to Wattenmaker.

Reports an error in "Incidental concept learning, feature frequency, and correlated properties" by William D. Wattenmaker (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1993[Jan], Vol 19[1], 203-222). This article included three typographical errors in the statistics. The corrected statistics are provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1993-16363-001.) Four experiments examined sensitivity to feature frequencies and feature correlations as a function of intentional and incidental concept learning. Feature frequencies were encoded equally well across variations in learning strategies, and although classification decisions in both intentional and incidental conditions preserved correlated features, this sensitivity was achieved through different processes. With intentional learning, sensitivity to correlations resulted from explicit rules, whereas incidental encoding preserved correlations through a similarity-based analogical process. In incidental tasks that promoted exemplar storage, classification decisions were mediated by similarity to retrieval examples, and correlated features were indirectly preserved in this process. Results are discussed in terms of the diversity of encoding processes and representations that can occur with incidental category learning. [An erratum concerning this article appears in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1993(Mar), Vol 19(2). The statistics on page 211 are corrected.] (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Task planning and energy expended: Exploration of how goals influence performance": Correction to Earley et al.

Reports an error in "Task planning and energy expended: Exploration of how goals influence performance" by P. Christopher Earley, Pauline Wojnaroski and William Prest (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1987[Feb], Vol 72[1], 107-114). Table 1 on page 109 appeared with reversed labels for the high and low conditions. The corrected Table 1 is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1987-17299-001.) Although many studies demonstrate the effectiveness of goal setting in organizations, it is unclear how goals actually influence performance. The present studies examined the effect of assigned goals and task information on performance, energy expended, and task planning or organizing. In Study 1, a 2×2 (Information×Goal) design was used. Subjects were 72 undergraduates working on a business simulation. In Study 2, 129 male and female workers from a service organization and a moving company responded to a survey assessing an individual's goal setting, job training, energy expended during a typical task performance, and task planning undertaken prior to performance. The results of both studies demonstrated that goal setting and task training influenced the dependent variables. In addition to influencing an individual's energy expended (effort and persistence), a specific goal led an individual to plan and organize more than did an individual given a general goal (i.e., "do your best"). The results of both studies suggest that goal setting and task-relevant information influence performance, in part, through their influence on energy expended and planning. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Gender characteristics and adjustment: A longitudinal study": Addendum.

Reports an error in "Gender characteristics and adjustment: A longitudinal study" by Jennifer Aubé and Richard Koestner (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1992[Sep], Vol 63[3], 485-493). The authors would like to acknowledge that the age 41 longitudinal data used in their study were collected by David McClelland, Carol Franz, Joel Weinberger, Richard Koestner, and Joseph Healy. This data collection was supported by a grant from the Seaver Institute. The data are currently being archived at the Henry Murray Research Center of Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1993-01033-001.) Used a prospective longitudinal design to investigate the long-term developmental implications of gender-related interests and traits. Archival data were available for Ss in the R. R. Sears et al (1957) study. Men, who at age 12 yrs endorsed interests and undesirable traits more typically associated with women, had poorer social–personal adjustment at ages 31 and 41 yrs. No effects were found for women. Feminine expressive traits at age 31 yrs did not impact on 41-yr-old adjustment for either men or women, whereas masculine instrumental traits were positively related for both. These findings support a multidimensional view of gender and indicate that harsher consequences follow when adolescent boys endorse nontraditional gender-related interests and undesirable traits than when girls do so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Team negotiation: An examination of integrative and distributive bargaining": Correction.

Reports an error in "Team negotiation: An examination of integrative and distributive bargaining" by Leigh Thompson, Erika Peterson and Susan E. Brodt (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1996[Jan], Vol 70[1], 66-78). Susan E. Brodt's department affiliation was listed incorrectly on p. 66. Her correct affiliation is The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1996-01707-006.) Two experiments compared the effectiveness of team and solo negotiators in integrative and distributive bargaining. When at least 1 party to a negotiation was a team, joint profit increased. Teams, more than solos, developed mutually beneficial trade-offs among issues and discovered compatible interests. The presence of at least 1 team increased information exchange and accuracy in judgments about the other party's interests in comparison with solo negotiations. The belief by both teams and solos that teams have a relative advantage over solo opponents was not supported by actual outcomes. Unexpectedly, neither private meetings nor friendships among team members improved the team's advantage. Teams of friends made less accurate judgments and reached fewer integrative agreements compared to teams of nonfriends. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on Finley's "Critique of rational-emotive philosophy."

Reply to Finley's (1987; see record 1988-00015-001) critique of rational-emotive philosophy, which claims that Ellis's (1981) response to Sharkey's (1981) criticisms of rational-emotive psychology reveals logical and philosophical confusion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance": Correction to Fredrickson et al. (1998).

Reports an error in "That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance" by Barbara L. Fredrickson, Tomi-Ann Roberts, Stephanie M. Noll, Diane M. Quinn and Jean M. Twenge (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998[Jul], Vol 75[1], 269-284). This article contains errors in the Participants sections. The corrected information is included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1998-04530-020.) Objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T Roberts, 1997) posits that American culture socializes women to adopt observers' perspectives on their physical selves. This self-objectification is hypothesized to (a) produce body shame, which in turn leads to restrained eating, and (b) consume attentional resources, which is manifested in diminished mental performance. Two experiments manipulated self-objectification by having participants try on a swimsuit or a sweater. Experiment 1 tested 72 women and found that self-objectification increased body shame, which in turn predicted restrained eating. Experiment 2 tested 42 women and 40 men and found that these effects on body shame and restrained eating replicated for women only. Additionally, self-objectification diminished math performance for women only. Discussion centers on the causes and consequences of objectifying women's bodies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"What is learned during automatization? The role of attention in constructing an instance": Correction to Logan and Etherton.

Reports an error in "What is learned during automatization? The role of attention in constructing an instance" by Gordon D. Logan and Joseph L. Etherton (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1994[Sep], Vol 20[5], 1022-1050). In the aforementioned article, the Appendix on page 1050 was incomplete. The complete Appendix is presented in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1995-04305-001.) Seven experiments with 372 Ss were conducted to examine the role of attention in automatization. Ss searched 2-word displays for members of a target category in divided-attention, focused-attention, and dual-task conditions. The main issue was whether attention conditions would affect what Ss learned about co-occurrences of the words in the displays. The attention hypothesis, derived from the instance theory of automaticity, predicts learning of co-occurrences in divided-attention and dual-task conditions in which Ss attend to both words but not in focused-attention conditions in which Ss only attend to 1 word. The data supported the attention hypothesis and therefore the instance theory. [A correction concerning this article appears in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 1994(Nov), Vol 20(6), 1390. The Appendix was incomplete and the complete Appendix is presented.] (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Reasons to leave shiftwork and psychological and psychosomatic complaints of former shiftworkers": Correction to Frese and Okonek.

Reports an error in "Reasons to leave shiftwork and psychological and psychosomatic complaints of former shiftworkers" by Michael Frese and Klaus Okonek (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1984[Aug], Vol 69[3], 509-514). On p. 510, first column, third line from the bottom of the page, the N for the OR group should be 96, not 36. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1984-32942-001.) 191 male blue-collar workers who had previously worked nights and shifts were differentiated into 3 groups: a group that had left night- and shiftwork because of health reasons; another that left it for various other reasons; and a middle group that had a combination of health and other reasons for leaving. Ss completed measures of environmental and psychological stress, psychosomatic and other health complaints, and irritation and strain. Findings show that the 1st group had more health complaints than the one that left for other reasons. They were less skilled, had been unemployed less often, and were typically told by their physician to leave shiftwork. They had also stayed in shiftwork longer than the group that left shiftwork for other reasons. It is suggested that studies on former shiftworkers should differentiate between these groups so as not to underestimate the real problems of former shiftworkers who left for health reasons. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Marital interaction and depression": Correction to Schmaling and Jacobson.

Reports an error in "Marital interaction and depression" by Karen B. Schmaling and Neil S. Jacobson (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1990[Aug], Vol 99[3], 229-236). In this article, the measures in Table 1 were incorrectly listed. The third and fourth measures ought to read "Wife DAS" and "Husband DAS," respectively. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1991-01471-001.) In this article, patterns of marital interaction as a function of depression and marital satisfaction are examined. The purpose of the study was to separate dysfunctional marital interaction patterns that were unique to depression from those that were associated with marital distress. The presence or absence of a depressed wife was crossed with level of marital satisfaction (distressed or nondistressed) to produce four groups of subject couples. Couples in which the wife was depressed exhibited more depressive behavior than did nondepressed couples, but only during discussion of a high conflict (as opposed to neutral) topic. Sex?×?Depression Level?×?Marital Satisfaction interactions were found for aggressive behavior: Depressed women in nondistressed relationships exhibited behavior that was characteristic of maritally distressed couples (high rates of aggression). In contrast, the husbands of these women exhibited behavior that one would expect in happily married couples (low rates of aggression). We failed to replicate previous findings that depressive behavior served a coercive function, although distressed couples, regardless of depression status, exhibited all the usual signs of negative dysfunctional interaction. [An erratum for this article will appear in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1990 (Nov), Vol 99(4). The measures in Table 1 were incorrectly listed in the original article.] (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Situational and transsituational determinants of adolescent self-feelings": Correction to Savin-Williams and Demo.

Reports an error in "Situational and transituational determinants of adolescent self-feelings" by Ritch C. Savin-Williams and David H. Demo (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1983[Apr], Vol 44[4], 824-833). In regards to the article, in a reanalysis of Savin-Williams and Demo's data, Schilling found that within-subject and between-subject effects in analysis of variance were not differentiated and that consequently several findings were in error. Details of the reanalysis and the corrected findings are included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1983-32498-001.) Employing a new self-report technique (paging devices), this study assessed the self-feelings of 35 adolescents (mean age 13.3 yrs) in various naturalistic contexts. Regression analysis was used to assess the stability of self-feelings. Ss fell into 3 groups: stable, oscillating, and unpredictable (the largest). For the sample as a whole, self-feelings were not influenced by the immediate context, although specific settings, activities, and others present within the contexts elicited various levels of self-feelings. More crucial for predicting the self-feelings were such enduring characteristics as sex, social class, pubertal maturation, stability group, birth order, and number of siblings. The authors argue for a baseline conceptualization of adolescent self-conception from which fluctuations occur. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Collective induction: Social combination and sequential transition": Correction to Laughlin and Futoran.

Reports an error in "Collective induction: Social combination and sequential transition" by Patrick R. Laughlin and Gail C. Futoran (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1985[Mar], Vol 48[3], 608-613). One sentence reads incorrectly on page 610. The correct sentence is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-20078-001.) 240 undergraduates, as individuals and 4-person cooperative groups, attempted to induce a rule that partitioned a deck of standard playing cards into exemplars and nonexemplars. A trial consisted of (a) individual member hypotheses, (b) group hypothesis (omitted in individual conditions), (c) choice of any of the cards, and (d) feedback on the exemplar or nonexemplar status of the card. Ss were instructed to select cards to confirm or disconfirm the current hypothesis, or received no such instructions. Groups had significantly more correct final hypotheses, plausible final hypotheses, and overall plausible hypotheses than individuals. Performance was better for both individuals and groups under control instructions than either instructions to select cards to confirm or disconfirm hypotheses. Social combination analyses and sequential transition analyses indicated that the groups were remarkably able to recognize and adopt the correct hypothesis if and only if it was proposed by at least 1 group member on some trial. Thus, the superiority of collective induction over individual induction was due to superior hypothesis evaluation by groups rather than to superior hypothesis formation by groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Neurobehavioral and life-quality changes after cerebral revascularization": Correction to Baird et al.

Reports an error in "Neurobehavioral and life-quality changes after cerebral revascularization" by Anne Dull Baird, James I. Ausman, Fernando G. Diaz, Manuel Dujovny, Kenneth M. Adams and Mark W. Shatz (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1988[Feb], Vol 56[1], 148-151). The authors' names were incorrectly ordered. The correct order is as follows: Anne Dull Baird, Kenneth M. Adams, Mark W. Shatz, James I. Ausman, Fernando G. Diaz, and Manuel Dujovny. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1988-21086-001.) Neuropsychological and life-quality changes were studied 6 months after carotid endarterectomy, superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass, multiple revascularization, and vertebrobasilar revascularization procedures. These changes were compared with those in patients with recent severe spinal complaints and in patients for whom revascularization was considered but not elected. Subjects were enrolled prospectively. We did not see statistically significant differences in neurobehavioral gains in patients undergoing cerebral revascularization versus those considered but not selected for surgery and versus patients with spinal complaints. Small sample size, marked intragroup variability, and lack of randomized subject assignments may have obscured modest-to-moderate treatment effects in some individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)