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Accuracy in self‐perception: The ‘fallacy of personal validation’
Author(s) -
Hampson Sarah E.,
Gilmour Robin,
Harris Paul L.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1978.tb00271.x
Subject(s) - fallacy , psychology , personality , perception , social desirability , social psychology , demand characteristics , cognitive psychology , epistemology , philosophy , neuroscience
Previous studies have found that subjects rate randomly selected astrological statements as highly accurate descriptions of themselves and this has been held to show a ‘fallacy of personal validation’. Three experiments are reported which investigate possible explanations. Subjects do not appear to accept such statements because of demand characteristics or social desirability effects. Evidence is presented to support an alternative hypothesis: subjects can distinguish true from false personality descriptions and perceive astrological statements as accurate descriptions of most people including themselves.