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Impression‐management and consistency effects in the processing of feedback
Author(s) -
Aitkenhead Marilyn
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1984.tb00632.x
Subject(s) - impression management , psychology , consistency (knowledge bases) , enthusiasm , social psychology , impression formation , impression , social perception , perception , computer science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , world wide web
This paper focuses on the extent and persistence of biased reactions to feedback which can be attributed to one or both of two motivational considerations, namely the desire to manage one's impressions so as to avoid anticipated social disapproval and the desire to act consistently with one's expectations. It is argued that subjects' prime desire is to avoid appearing foolish or immodest to others, but that private expectations act as an anchor by which to judge whether or not one is being foolish or immodest. Thus people with different expectations (such as those with high self‐esteem, HSEs, and low self‐esteem, LSEs) should behave differently even when impression‐management conditions are identical. Detailed predictions are derived concerning how the two motivational factors will bias reactions to feedback for two responses: firstly, the expectations HSEs and LSEs hold about their future performance and, secondly, the certainty with which these expectations are held. Subjects' biased reactions to feedback are compared both to the actual feedback given and to the information processing of HSE and LSE observers. It was found that subjects showed biased reactions both during and after 10 trials of repeated success and failure feedback, and there was strong support for all the predictions. It is concluded that consistency needs should not be forgotten in the current enthusiasm for impression‐management as an all‐embracing theory of social behaviour.