Bending perception to desire: Effects of task demands, motivation, and cognitive resources

Jocelyn J. Bélanger, Arie W. Kruglanski, Xiaoyan Chen, Edward Orehek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Determinants of motivated judgments were examined in this research. Three experiments investigated how dominant motivation, biasing difficulty and mental resources combine to produce motivationally congruent judgments. Studies 1 and 2 showed that where a biasing motivation is dominant the presence of resources can augment a motivational bias in judgment. Study 3 replicated that result and showed that resources contribute to the formation of biased judgments only where biasing is difficult to accomplish, but not where it is relatively easy to accomplish. In addition, Study 3 showed that where the accuracy motivation is dominant and biasing is the easy default, unbiased judgments will occur only in the presence (vs. absence) of resources. In contrast, where unbiased judgments are easy to come by, such judgments occur irrespective of resources.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)802-814
Number of pages13
JournalMotivation and Emotion
Volume38
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 7 2014

Keywords

  • Cognitive energetics theory
  • Cognitive resources
  • Decision making
  • Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

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