English

ERIC ED258076: Self-Verification of Ability through Biased Performance Memory.

Evidence points to a pervasive tendency for persons to behave to maintain their existing cognitive structures. One strategy by which this self-verification is made more probable involves information processing. Through attention, encoding and retrieval, and the interpretation of events, persons process information so that self-confirmatory information tends to be over-represented. To investigate self-verification in a performance setting two studies examined the role of memory for performance outcomes in revisions of self-concept of ability. Self-estimates of ability were obtained from 151 undergraduates prior and subsequent to a controlled performance sequence and a measure of performance recall. The results indicated that performance memory bias (recall of success as compared to success indicated when performing) was related to post-performance ability estimates in both studies. A self-estimate of ability in several task-related skill areas was related to performance recall bias. Path analysis revealed a significant indirect path from pre-performance ability through recall bias to post-performance ability estimates. Ability estimates subsequent to performance were biased upward i

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