摘要
Self-serving bias suggests that people tend to attribute success to internal factors and attribute failure to external factors （Bradley, J Pers Soc Psychol 36：56-71,1978; Miller and Ross, Psychol Bull 82：213-225,1975）. However, the results of the attribution of failure are not always consistent. Some studies have found that people attribute failure to external factors （Snyder, Stephan, ＆ Rosenfileld, 1976） and others suggest that people attribute failure to internal factors （Ross et al., J Pers Soc Psychol 29：609- 618,1974）. I tested self-serving bias in two different contexts in China's Mainland： in one, test results were public （students had access to each other＇s test results） and in the other, test results were private （students only had access to his/her own results）. When a context triggers individuals to compare themselves to others, individuals may alter their attribution of failure in order to preserve their self-image and self- esteem. Data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA, and the results show that in a public context people tend to attribute failure more to external factors than to themselves. Also, results suggest that people attribute failure less to themselves in a public context than in a private context.
Self-serving bias suggests that people tend to attribute success to internal factors and attribute failure to external factors （Bradley, J Pers Soc Psychol 36：56-71,1978; Miller and Ross, Psychol Bull 82：213-225,1975）. However, the results of the attribution of failure are not always consistent. Some studies have found that people attribute failure to external factors （Snyder, Stephan, ＆ Rosenfileld, 1976） and others suggest that people attribute failure to internal factors （Ross et al., J Pers Soc Psychol 29：609- 618,1974）. I tested self-serving bias in two different contexts in China's Mainland： in one, test results were public （students had access to each other＇s test results） and in the other, test results were private （students only had access to his/her own results）. When a context triggers individuals to compare themselves to others, individuals may alter their attribution of failure in order to preserve their self-image and self- esteem. Data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA, and the results show that in a public context people tend to attribute failure more to external factors than to themselves. Also, results suggest that people attribute failure less to themselves in a public context than in a private context.
