This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fleming, J. H. Articles by Darley, J. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Fleming, J. H. Articles by Darley, J. M. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The Purposeful-Action Sequence and the "Illusion of Control"

The Effects of Foreknowledge and Target Involvement on Observers' Judgments of Others' Control Over Random Events

University of Minnesota

John M. Darley

Princeton University

This study examined how features of both the situation and the target's behavior may lead observers to infer that a target has exerted control over a random event-in this case a roll of the dice in a game of backgammon. Observers read stories about a game of backgammon in which the male target either strongly wished for one particular outcome of the roll of the dice or was indifferent and in which either the target rolled the dice himself or a third party rolled the dice for him. Results showed that when the target desired a particular consequence of the dice roll in advance and rolled the dice himself, observers were more likely to see him as having exerted influence over the dice roll, were willing to wager more that he could roll the same number again, and rated luck as less influential in producing the dice roll outcome. These results are discussed from the perspective of illusory perceptions of control that might explain why observers inferred an actor's intentions from the actor's production of an event generally regarded as random.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. M. Biner, S. T. Angle, J. H. Park, A. E. Mellinger, and B. C. Barber Need State and the Illusion of Control Pers Soc Psychol Bull, September 1, 1995; 21(9): 899 - 907. [Abstract]