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Swine Flu: A Field Study of Self‐Serving Biases
Author(s) -
Larwood Laurie
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1978.tb00783.x
Subject(s) - psychology , shot (pellet) , social psychology , significant difference , event (particle physics) , field (mathematics) , applied psychology , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics
Self‐serving biases were examined as an explanation for swine flu inoculation behavior. Subjects who had recently had the opportunity to obtain the shot were surveyed by questionnaire. As predicted, most persons held biased beliefs that their own health was superior to that of others. Those getting or intending to get the shot had less health bias, had recently experienced a confidence‐shaking event, and felt that the shot might make a difference in their health. The results are seen as having implications both for self‐serving bias research and for disease control.