Date of Award

2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Slifkin, Andrew

Subject Headings

Interpersonal communication -- Psychological aspects, Interpersonal relations -- Psychological aspects

Abstract

Similar processes between a third person representation and a first person representation may be at work in understanding the limitations of another. These processes may lead to errors in estimating the abilities of another by anchoring those estimates to one's own abilities. A study designed to test how interactive conditions may mediate these processes. It was hypothesized that, due to an increase in interdependence, an individual would show a higher degree of difference between his or her own abilities and those of another when cooperating, compared to non-interactive conditions. It was also hypothesized that competition, due in part to a lack of diffusion of responsibility, would show significantly higher differences than those individuals cooperating. The study included a physical task designed to create conditions of cooperation, competition, and a non-interactive condition between two individuals. One individual in each condition was given weighted gloves to simulate a handicap. Following the interaction, participants estimated the amount of effort it would take for themselves and the amount of effort it would take for the other person to complete a number of simple actions that were designed to interact with the handicap by either being harder to complete, easier to complete, or no difference in effort to complete when wearing the handicap. Results show significant differences in effort between oneself and the other only in relation to being artificially handicapped, with the handicapped individual seeing certain actions as more difficult for themselves while wearing the handicap while the non-handicapped individual sees the same actions as easier for themselves while not wearing the handicap. Also, a marginally significant interaction was observed between being artificially handicapped and interaction group with non-handicapped individuals seeing a greater degree of difference between themselves and the handicapped individual in the competitive interaction as opposed to the cooperative interaction. Resu

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