I like it, because I like myself: Associative self-anchoring and post-decisional change of implicit evaluations

Bertram Gawronski; Galen V. Bodenhausen; Andrew P. Becker

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2006.04.001

I like it, because I like myself: Associative self-anchoring and post-decisional change of implicit evaluations

Bertram Gawronski^*, Galen V. Bodenhausen, Andrew P. Becker

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

213 Scopus citations

Abstract

Research in the cognitive dissonance tradition has shown that choosing between two equally attractive alternatives leads to more favorable evaluations of chosen as compared to rejected alternatives (spreading-of-alternatives effect). The present research tested associative self-anchoring as an alternative mechanism for post-decisional changes of implicit evaluations. Specifically, we argue that choosing an object results in the creation of an association between the chosen object and the self. By virtue of this association, implicit evaluations of the self tend to transfer to the chosen object, such that implicit evaluations of the chosen object depend on implicit evaluations of the self. Importantly, this mechanism can lead to ownership-related changes in implicit evaluations even in the absence of cognitive dissonance. Results from four experiments provide converging evidence for these assumptions. Implications for a variety of phenomena are discussed, including cognitive dissonance, the mere ownership effect, the endowment effect, and ingroup favoritism.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	221-232
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Volume	43
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2006.04.001
State	Published - Mar 2007

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRC), the Social Science and Humanities Research Council Canada (SSHRC), and the Academic Development Fund of the University of Western Ontario (ADF). Portions of this article were presented at the Annual Meeting of Social Psychologists of Chicago (SPOC), Chicago, IL (2004) and at the Annual Conference of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), San Diego, CA (2005). We would like to thank Tony Greenwald, Wilhelm Hofmann, and Eva Walther for helpful comments on an earlier version of this article; and Teri Bomzer, Arjun Sharma, Tommy Solomon, and Xenia Avvakumova for their help in collecting the data.

Keywords

Associative processes
Attitude change
Cognitive dissonance
Implicit measures
Self-anchoring

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Sociology and Political Science

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10.1016/j.jesp.2006.04.001

Cite this

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title = "I like it, because I like myself: Associative self-anchoring and post-decisional change of implicit evaluations",

abstract = "Research in the cognitive dissonance tradition has shown that choosing between two equally attractive alternatives leads to more favorable evaluations of chosen as compared to rejected alternatives (spreading-of-alternatives effect). The present research tested associative self-anchoring as an alternative mechanism for post-decisional changes of implicit evaluations. Specifically, we argue that choosing an object results in the creation of an association between the chosen object and the self. By virtue of this association, implicit evaluations of the self tend to transfer to the chosen object, such that implicit evaluations of the chosen object depend on implicit evaluations of the self. Importantly, this mechanism can lead to ownership-related changes in implicit evaluations even in the absence of cognitive dissonance. Results from four experiments provide converging evidence for these assumptions. Implications for a variety of phenomena are discussed, including cognitive dissonance, the mere ownership effect, the endowment effect, and ingroup favoritism.",

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author = "Bertram Gawronski and Bodenhausen, {Galen V.} and Becker, {Andrew P.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRC), the Social Science and Humanities Research Council Canada (SSHRC), and the Academic Development Fund of the University of Western Ontario (ADF). Portions of this article were presented at the Annual Meeting of Social Psychologists of Chicago (SPOC), Chicago, IL (2004) and at the Annual Conference of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), San Diego, CA (2005). We would like to thank Tony Greenwald, Wilhelm Hofmann, and Eva Walther for helpful comments on an earlier version of this article; and Teri Bomzer, Arjun Sharma, Tommy Solomon, and Xenia Avvakumova for their help in collecting the data. Copyright: Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

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I like it, because I like myself: Associative self-anchoring and post-decisional change of implicit evaluations

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