Sex, Gullibility, and the Barnum Effect
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13657489 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marcella L Piper-Terry (University of South Alabama, corresponding author), Jerrold L Downey (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 571-571 |
| Publication date | 1998-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2466/pr0.82.2.571-576 |
| OpenAlex | W4255550756 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
The term "Barnum effect" refers to the tendency of people to accept personality interpretations containing vague statements that are universally true of the population at large. Some researchers have attributed the high acceptance rate of such statements to the gullibility of their subjects, while others suggested that factors such as social desirability, situational insecurity, or prestige of the interpreter may be significant contributors. Previous research has not shown sex to have significant main effects on acceptance of bogus personality interpretations but has suggested that sex may interact with certain variables that are situation-specific. In the present study, 75 undergraduate students administered projective 'personality tests' to friends who were approximately the same age. After a waiting period of two days, all subjects who had been 'tested' were given feedback consisting of a set of those general statements. They then rated the accuracy of their friends' interpretation. As in previous studies of this type, accuracy of the statements was rated very high, and women rated the interpretations as more accurate than men. The effects of a desire to be helpful were examined as a possible contributing factor in situations where the 'test administrator' and the subject were friends. Results suggest that helpfulness may interact with sex and situation, but further research is needed to evaluate the nature of this interaction
Developmental psychology · Helpfulness · Interpretation (philosophy · Personality · Population · Prestige · Projective test · Set (abstract data type · Situational ethics · Test (biology · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Personality Traits and Psychology · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |