The Accuracy of Verbal Reports About the Effects of Stimuli on Evaluations and Behavior

Four experiments are reported, each having the following design: (1) Components ofa complex stimulus situation were manipulated; (2) subjects responded to the situation in some fashion?evaluational, judgmental, or behavioral; and (3) subjects were asked what effect, if any, the manipulated stimulus components had had upon their responses. The results indicate that people's reports are highly inaccurate. Stimulus components with substantial effects on responses were reported to have had no effect on responses, and stimulus components with little or no effect were reported to have had substantial effects. The results indicate that research which relies on people's introspective reports about the causes of their behavior may have little value as a guide to the true causal influences.