Replication and Extension of Alicke (1985) Better-Than-Average Effect for Desirable and Controllable Traits

Abstract

People tend to regard themselves as better than average. We conducted a replication and extension of Alicke’s classic study on trait dimensions in evaluations of self versus others with U.S. American Mechanical Turk workers in two waves (total N = 1,573; 149 total traits). We successfully replicated the trait desirability effect, such that participants rated more desirable traits as being more descriptive of themselves than of others (original: ${\eta }_{\text{p}}^2$ = .78, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.73, .81]; replication: sr ² = .54, 95% CI [.43, .65]). The effect of desirability was stronger for more controllable traits (effect of Desirability × Controllability interaction on self–other-ratings difference; original: ${\eta }_{\text{p}}^2$ = .21, 95% CI [.12, .28]; replication: sr ² = .07, 95% CI [.02, .12]). In an extension, we found that desirable traits were rated as more common for others, but not for the self. Thirty-five years later, the better-than-average effect appears to remain robust. All materials, data, and code are available at https://osf.io/2y6wj/.