Motivated inference: Self-serving generation and evaluation of causal theories.

1987/10/01 by Ziva Kunda · 14 citations
Decision Sciences · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Causal inference #Causal model #Cognitive psychology #Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics #Econometrics #Epistemology #Inference #Optimism, Hope, and Well-being #Psychology #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Social psychology

paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.53.4.636

crossref issued 1987/10/01 · crossref published 1987/10/01 · crossref published-online 1987/10/01 · openalex publication_date 1987/10/01 · crossref created 2005/09/15 · crossref deposited 2024/02/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Citations

• Hindsight is not equal to foresight: The effect of outcome knowledge on judgment under uncertainty.
• Biased assimilation and attitude polarization: The effects of prior theories on subsequently considered evidence.
• The totalitarian ego: Fabrication and revision of personal history.
• Perseverance of social theories: The role of explanation in the persistence of discredited information.
• Unrealistic optimism about future life events.

Cited by

• Motivated sensitivity to preference-inconsistent information.
• A new look at motivated inference: Are self-serving theories of success a product of motivational forces?
• Egocentric definitions of traits and abilities in social judgment.
• Contingencies of self-worth.
• Perceived Accuracy of Favorable and Unfavorable Psychological Feedback
• Enhancement Bias in Descriptions of Self and Others
• Objectivity in the Eye of the Beholder: Divergent Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Others.
• Ambiguity and self-evaluation: The role of idiosyncratic trait definitions in self-serving assessments of ability.
• Assessment, enhancement, and verification determinants of the self-evaluation process.
• Cultural variation in unrealistic optimism: Does the West feel more vulnerable than the East?
• The Bias Blind Spot: Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Others
• Self-Enhancement: Is it Restricted to Individualistic Cultures?
• Unrealistic Optimism: Self-Enhancement or Person Positivity?
• Self-enhancement [wikipedia]