Abstract
This paper identifies ideal conditions for proving that people lack self-insight: Ask people in a between-subjects design (with deception) to identify the experimenter’s manipulation. Because people fail to identify the variable manipulated, we conclude that they do not understand the causes of their own behavior.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Birnbaum, M. H., & Stegner, S. E. (1981). Measuring the importance of cues in judgment for individuals: Subjective theories of IQ as a function of heredity and environment. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 17, 159–182.
Nihm, S. D. (1976). Polynomial law of sensation. American Psychologist, 31, 808–809.
Nisbett, R. E., & Wilson, T. D. (1977). Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes. Psychological Review, 84, 231–259.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nihm, S.D. Self-reports on mental processes: A response to Birnbaum and Stegner. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 22, 426–427 (1984). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333866
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333866