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Attributions, deception, and event related potentials: An investigation of the self‐serving bias
Author(s) -
Krusemark Elizabeth A.,
Keith Campbell W.,
Clementz Brett A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00659.x
Subject(s) - attribution , psychology , attribution bias , task (project management) , social psychology , neural correlates of consciousness , deception , self control , cognitive psychology , self monitoring , cognition , neuroscience , management , economics
Self‐serving attributions occur when negative personal outcomes are ascribed to external circumstances and when positive outcomes are ascribed to internal factors. Individuals strategically employ the self‐serving bias to maintain and protect positive self‐views. The current study investigated the neural correlates of the self‐serving bias using dense array EEG, giving 20 participants false (success or failure) feedback during a facial working memory task. Participants made self‐serving attributions during the task, primarily following failure feedback. Voltage and source analyses in response to attribution stimuli revealed that, compared to self‐serving responses, non‐self‐serving attributions were preceded by enhanced dorsomedial frontal cortex activity. This finding suggests that unbiased attributions require greater self‐control, overriding the automatic tendency for self‐enhancement.