Strategic thinking in the shadow of self-enhancement

• Verfasst von: Grüning, David [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Krueger, Joachim I. [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Strategic thinking in the shadow of self-enhancement
• Titelzusatz: Benefits and costs
• Verf.angabe: David J. Grüning, Joachim I. Krueger
• Ausgabe: Early view
• Jahr: 2024
• Umfang: 18 S.
• Illustrationen: Diagramme
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 09.09.2024
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: The British journal of social psychology
• Ort Quelle: Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 1981
• Jahr Quelle: 2024
• Band/Heft Quelle: (2024), early view, Seite 1-18
• ISSN Quelle: 2044-8309
• DOI: doi:10.1111/bjso.12747
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: hide-and-seek game
• Sach-SW: randomization
• Sach-SW: self-enhancement
• Sach-SW: strategic reasoning
• Sach-SW: theory of mind
• K10plus-PPN: 1902177347

Abstract

Using a variant of the hide-and-seek game, we show in three studies that self-enhancement can help or hinder strategic thinking. In this guessing game, one player chooses a number while another player tries to guess it. Each player does this either in a random fashion (throwing a mental die) or by active thinking. The structure of the game implies that guessers benefit from thinking about a number, whereas choosers are disadvantaged. Yet, regardless of their role, respondents prefer to actively think about a number. For choosers, the belief they can outthink the opponent amounts to self-enhancement, whereas for guessers, the same belief can be rationally justified. We discuss the implications of the findings for theories of strategic cognition and applications to real-world contexts.