The relationship between attention allocation and cheating

Andrea Pittarello, Daphna Motro, Enrico Rubaltelli, Patrik Pluchino

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Little is known about the relationship between attention allocation and dishonesty. The goal of the present work was to address this issue using the eyetracking methodology. We developed a novel task in which participants could honestly report seeing a particular card and lose money, or they could falsely report not seeing the card and not lose money. When participants cheated, they allocated less attention (i.e., shorter fixation durations and fewer fixations) to the card than when they behaved honestly. Our results suggest that when dishonesty pays, shifting attention away from undesirable information can serve as a self-deception strategy that allows individuals to serve their self-interests while maintaining a positive self-concept.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)609-616
Number of pages8
JournalPsychonomic Bulletin and Review
Volume23
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2016

Keywords

  • Attention
  • Behavioral ethics
  • Eyetracking
  • Unethical behavior

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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