Self-Dispositional Inference Bias
People often infer their own traits and characteristics from their current moods and behaviors, especially under time pressure or cognitive load, leading to biased self-perceptions that fail to account for situational factors.
THE IDEA
Drawing Dispositional Inferences about Ourselves
Social psychologists have quite a bit to say about how self-knowledge is represented in memory (e.g., Klein & Loftus, 1993; Markus, 1977), activated by circumstance (e.g., Bargh, 1982; Jones, Rhodewalt, Berglas, & Skelton, 1981; Tice, 1992), influenced by others (e.g., Tesser & Campbell, 1983; Wood, 1989), and modified by feedback (e.g., Swann & Predmore, 1985). But they have had relatively little to say about the mental operations by which self-knowledge originates in the first place. How do people learn about their own traits, characteristics, attitudes, and abilities? Ryle (1949) was the first to suggest that people draw inferences about themselves from observations of their own behavior, and Bem (1972) suggested that they do so by using attributional logic. If knowledge of self and knowledge of others are indeed achieved by identical processes, then the former should be susceptible to busyness-induced undercorrection.
We investigated this possibility in a series of studies (Gill & Gilbert, 1999). In one, participants listened to music that was designed to elevate their mood (happy-music condition) or depress their mood (sad-music condition). They were then asked to rate the extent to which each of 44 adjectives described their personalities. Participants in the hurried condition were told to respond to these items "as quickly as you can," whereas participants in the unhurried condition were told to "take your time and think carefully about your answers." (Research has shown that time pressure produces the same effects on dispositional inference as does cognitive load.) Our model predicted that all participants would use their current mood to draw dispositional inferences about themselves ("I'm tapping my toes and feeling pretty happy, so I guess I'm generally a happy person"), but that unhurried participants would then correct those characterizations ("Of course, I've just been listening to samba music, so maybe that's why I can't stop moving"). As Table 9.5 shows, this is just what happened. Hurried participants drew dispositional inferences about themselves that corresponded to their current moods, but unhurried participants did not. These results are consistent with the notion that people observe their own states (thoughts, feelings, and actions), draw dispositional inferences about themselves, and then correct those inferences with information about situational constraints if and when they can.
When to use it
Self-evaluation during high-stress periods, such as before a deadline or after a major event.
Personality tests or self-assessments completed under time constraints, leading to biased results.
Making career decisions based on temporary emotions, e.g., feeling confident after a success and believing you are always confident.
Reflecting on personal growth: recognizing that mood can influence self-perception and seeking situational explanations before drawing stable trait conclusions.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Music Mood Study
In a study by Gill and Gilbert (1999), participants listened to happy or sad music, then rated their personality traits under time pressure or without time pressure. Hurried participants attributed their current mood to their personality (e.g., feeling happy meant they believed they were generally a happy person), while unhurried participants corrected for the situational influence of the music.
Everyday Mood-Induced Trait Judgments
If you feel irritable after a long day at work, you might conclude that you are a grumpy person, ignoring the fact that your irritability is likely due to fatigue or hunger. This is a real-life example of drawing a dispositional inference from a temporary state without considering situational constraints.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
When have you made a judgment about your personality based on a temporary mood or feeling? How accurate was that judgment?
How might time pressure or multitasking affect your self-assessments during performance reviews or exams?
What situational factors do you often overlook when evaluating your own traits or abilities?
References
- The Concept of Mind — Ryle, G. (1949)
- Self-Perception Theory — Bem, D. J. (1972)
- Busyness-Induced Under Correction in Self-Perception — Gill, M. J. & Gilbert, D. T. (1999)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Heuristics and Biases The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment (Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, Daniel Kahneman)