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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 11, 1405-1416 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167299259006

The Confidence of Choice: Evidence for an Augmentation Effect on Self-Perceived Performance

Romin W. Tafarodi

University of Toronto, tafarodi{at}psych.utoronto.ca

Alan B. Milne

Aberdeen University

Alyson J. Smith

University of Wales, Cardiff

Past research suggests that choice in deciding the features of a task can enhance performance. Independent of the quality of performance, choice may also increase the actor’s confidence by providing a secondary source of subjective control during the task. In two studies designed to examine this augmentation hypothesis, college students were asked to read and understand a short story. Study 1 revealed that those who selected names to be used in the story felt more confident about their performance than did those who were assigned names, although the groups in fact performed equally. Study 2 revealed that the enhancement was not due to anticipatory confidence, arguing against the possibility that choice was operating as a performance cue. The findings are interpreted in relation to perceived control and implications for motivation and competence are discussed.


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R. W. Tafarodi, S. Mehranvar, R. L. Panton, and A. B. Milne
Putting Oneself in the Task: Choice, Personalization, and Confidence
Pers Soc Psychol Bull, May 1, 2002; 28(5): 648 - 658.
[Abstract] [PDF]