TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of grades on the preference effect
T2 - Grading reduces consideration of disconfirming evidence
AU - Hayek, A.S.
AU - Toma, C.
AU - Oberlé, D.
AU - Butera, F.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - The tendency to look for evidence that supports, rather than questions, one's viewpoint (preference effect) is a pervasive phenomenon. Although one important goal of education is developing critical thinking, the widespread practice of grading might discourage students in appreciating disconfirming evidence. We hypothesized that individual grading increases the preference effect. In Experiment 1, participants who expected to be graded exhibited a higher preference effect compared to participants who expected their work to be merely visible. Experiment 2 replicated this effect and further showed that grading increased participants' perception of a competitive social comparison. Implications for educational policies are discussed.
AB - The tendency to look for evidence that supports, rather than questions, one's viewpoint (preference effect) is a pervasive phenomenon. Although one important goal of education is developing critical thinking, the widespread practice of grading might discourage students in appreciating disconfirming evidence. We hypothesized that individual grading increases the preference effect. In Experiment 1, participants who expected to be graded exhibited a higher preference effect compared to participants who expected their work to be merely visible. Experiment 2 replicated this effect and further showed that grading increased participants' perception of a competitive social comparison. Implications for educational policies are discussed.
U2 - 10.1080/01973533.2014.969840
DO - 10.1080/01973533.2014.969840
M3 - Article
SN - 0197-3533
VL - 36
SP - 544
EP - 552
JO - Basic and Applied Social Psychology
JF - Basic and Applied Social Psychology
IS - 6
ER -