Example of Testing Competing Theories: Self-Judgment

According to the number-of-examples theory, what do people base their self-evaluations on when judging their own traits?

According to the number-of-examples theory, a research participant who successfully recalls ten instances of being brave will rate themselves as more courageous than a participant who recalls only three, even if retrieving the ten examples was mentally difficult.

In a social psychology study on self-perception, participants are asked to recall specific times they demonstrated 'leadership.' According to the Number-of-examples theory, rank the following participants from the one who will perceive themselves as the strongest leader (1) to the one who will perceive themselves as the weakest leader (4).

Match each component of a research study to its specific theoretical role according to the Number-of-examples theory.

A researcher designs an experiment to test the number-of-examples theory regarding how individuals evaluate their own personality traits. Which of the following experimental results would provide the strongest evidence in support of this theory?

According to the number-of-examples theory, people judge their own personality traits based on the sheer _____ of relevant instances they can bring to mind.

In a study on self-judgment, participants recalled either 3 or 12 instances of their own helpfulness. If those who struggled to list 12 examples rated themselves as less helpful than those who easily listed 3, this result would _____ the Number-of-Examples theory.

A researcher designs a study where Group A recalls 12 examples of assertive behavior (a difficult task) and Group B recalls 3 examples (an easy task). If the number-of-examples theory is correct, participants in Group A will rate themselves as more assertive than those in Group B.

Match each research concept to its role in an experiment comparing the number-of-examples theory and the ease-of-retrieval theory.

A researcher is evaluating whether the number-of-examples theory or the ease-of-retrieval theory better explains self-judgment. Order the steps of this research evaluation process from start to finish.