Although psychologists have long recognized the havoc that a discovered lie can wreak on a relationship, this study indicates that even an undiscovered deception can bring about negative consequences. An experiment explored one such consequence by examining the hypothesis that in a dyadic relationship, if one partner lies to the other, the liar will begin to perceive the recipient as less honest. Participants who were induced to lie to a partner in a believable and, in some conditions, damaging manner then rated the partner on a variety of traits, including honesty. The results indicated a significant reduction in perceived honesty of the recipient of the lie, particularly by participants who told damaging lies. An exploration into the underlying mechanisms of the effect suggested that deceiver's distrust operates through affective means, with the liars justifying their actions in a self-protection motivated version of the false consensus effect.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alicke, M. D. , & Largo, E. (1995). The role of the self in the false consensus effect. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 31, 28-47.
2.
Aronson, E. (1969). The theory of cognitive dissonance: A current perspective. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 1-34). San Diego, CAAcademic Press.
3.
Bandura, A. , Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V., & Pastorelli, C. (1996). Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 364-374.
4.
Berscheid, E. , & Walster, E. (1969). Interpersonal attraction. Reading, MA.Addison-Wesley.
5.
Bramel, D. (1963). Selection of a target for defensive projection. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 66, 318-324.
6.
Cialdini, R. B. (1996). Social influence and the triple tumor structure of organizational dishonesty. In D. M. Messick & A. E. Tenbrunsel (Eds.), Codes of conduct (pp. 44-58). New York: Russell Sage.
7.
Cooper, J. , & Fazio, R. H. (1984). A new look at dissonance. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 17, pp. 227-266). New York: Academic Press.
8.
Cunningham, M. R, & Ash, P. (1988). The structure of honesty: Factor analysis of the Reid Report. Journal of Business and Psychology, 3, 54-65.
9.
DePaulo, B. M. , Kashy, D. A., Kirkendol, S. E., Wyer, M. M., & Epstein, J. A. (1996). Lying in everyday life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 979-995.
10.
DePaulo, B. M. , Lanier, K, & Davis, T. (1983). Detecting deceit of the motivated liar. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1096-1103.
11.
Dunning, D. , & Hayes, A. F. (1996). Evidence for egocentric comparison in social judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 213-229.
12.
Ekman, P. (1985). Telling lies: Clues to deceit in the marketplace, marriage, and politics. New York: Norton.
13.
Exline, R. E. , Thibaut, J., Hickey, C. B., & Gumpert, P. (1970). Visual interactions in relation to Machiavellianism and an unethical act. In R Christie & F. L. Geis (Eds.), Studies in Machiavellianism (pp. 53-75). New York: Academic Press.
14.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117-140.
15.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
16.
Festinger, L. , & Carlsmith, J. M. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 58, 203-210.
17.
Fiske, S. T. , & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
18.
Frey, D. (1986). Recent research on selective exposure. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 19, pp. 41-80). New York: Academic Press.
19.
Gibbons, F. X. , Helweg-Larsen, M., & Gerrard, M. (1995). Prevalence estimates and adolescent risk behavior: Cross-cultural differences in social influence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 107-121.
20.
Gregory, W. L. , Mowen, J. C., & Linder, D. E. (1978). Social psychology and plea bargaining: Applications, methodology, and theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 1521-1530.
21.
Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review, 94, 319-340.
22.
Kashy, D. A. , & DePaulo, B. M. (1996). Who lies?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 1037-1051.
23.
Kiesler, C. A. , & Singer, R. D. (1963). The effects of similarity and guilt on the projection of hostility. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 19, 156-162.
24.
Klass, E. T. (1978). Psychological effects of immoral actions: The experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 756-771.
25.
Knapp, M. L. (1984). Interpersonal communication and human relationships. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
26.
Kramer, R. M. , & Tyler, T. R. (1996). Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and researchThousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
27.
Kraut, R. E. (1978). Verbal and nonverbal cues in the perception of lying. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 380-391.
28.
Krueger, J. , & Clement, R. W. (1994). The truly false-consensus effect: An ineradicable and egocentric bias in social perception. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 596-610.
29.
Lerner, M. J. (1974). Social psychology of justice and interpersonal attraction. In T. Huston (Ed.), Foundations of interpersonal attraction. New York: Academic Press.
30.
Lerner, M.J. , & Matthews, P. (1967). Reactions to suffering of others under conditions of indirect responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 319-325.
31.
Lerner, M. J. , & Simmons, C. H. (1966). Observer's reaction to the "innocent victim": Compassion or rejection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 203-210.
32.
Manstead, A.S.R. (1982). Perceived social support for opinions: A test of the magnitude and diversity hypothesis. British Journal of Social Psychology, 21, 35-41.
33.
Marks, G. , & Miller, N. (1987). Ten years of research on the false-consensus effect: An empirical and theoretical review. Psychology Bulletin, 102, 72-90.
34.
McCornack, S. A. , & Levine, T. R. (1990). When lies are uncovered: Emotional and relational outcomes of discovered deception. Communication Monographs, 57, 119-139.
35.
Miller, G. R. , Mongeau, P. A., & Sleight, C. (1986). Fudging with friends and lying to lovers: Deceptive communication in personal relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 3, 495-512.
36.
Mullen, B. , Atkins, J. L., Champion, D. S., Edwards, C., Hardy, D., Story, J. E., & Vanderklok, M. (1985). The false consensus effect: A meta-analysis of 155 hypothesis tests. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 262-283.
37.
The Reid Report. (1984). Chicago: Reid Psychological Systems.
38.
Ross, L. , Greene, D., & House, P. (1977). The "false consensus effect": An egocentric bias in social perception and attribution processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 13, 279-301.
39.
Rossomando, N. P. , & Weiss, W. (1970). Attitude change effects of timing and amount of payment for counter attitudinal behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 14, 32-38.
40.
Simon, L. , Greenberg, J., & Brehm, J. (1995). Trivialization: The forgotten mode of dissonance reduction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 247-260.
41.
van der Pligt, J. (1984). Attributions, false consensus, and valence: Two field studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 57-68.
42.
Yinon, Y,Mayraz, A. , Fox, S. (1994). Age and the false-consensus effect. Journal of Social Psychology, 134, 717-725.
