Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception

Oliver Genschow; Jens Lange

doi:10.1177/19485506211057711

Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

Standard

Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception. / Genschow, Oliver; Lange, Jens.
In: Social Psychological and Personality Science, Vol. 13, No. 8, 01.11.2022, p. 1259-1268.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

Bibtex

@article{1ab85632f41d4ab4915bac306484ed58,

title = "Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception",

abstract = "Past research indicates that individuals{\textquoteright} belief in free will is related to attributing others{\textquoteright} behavior to internal causes. An open question is whether belief in free will is related to the attribution of one{\textquoteright}s own action. To answer this question, we tested two opposing predictions against each other by assessing the relation of belief in free will with the self-serving bias—individuals{\textquoteright} tendency to attribute personal success more strongly to internal forces and failure to external forces. The resource hypothesis predicts that a higher endorsement in free will belief relates to a lower self-serving bias. The intention attribution hypothesis predicts that belief in free will relates to higher internal attributions, as compared with external attributions, irrespective of success and failure. Meta-analytic evidence across five high-powered studies (total N = 1,137) supports the intention attribution hypothesis, but not the resource hypothesis (materials and data are available on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/2a89c/).",

keywords = "free will belief, intention attribution, self-regulation, self-serving bias, Business psychology",

author = "Oliver Genschow and Jens Lange",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2022.",

year = "2022",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1177/19485506211057711",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

pages = "1259--1268",

journal = "Social Psychological and Personality Science",

issn = "1948-5506",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

number = "8",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception

AU - Genschow, Oliver

AU - Lange, Jens

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.

PY - 2022/11/1

Y1 - 2022/11/1

N2 - Past research indicates that individuals’ belief in free will is related to attributing others’ behavior to internal causes. An open question is whether belief in free will is related to the attribution of one’s own action. To answer this question, we tested two opposing predictions against each other by assessing the relation of belief in free will with the self-serving bias—individuals’ tendency to attribute personal success more strongly to internal forces and failure to external forces. The resource hypothesis predicts that a higher endorsement in free will belief relates to a lower self-serving bias. The intention attribution hypothesis predicts that belief in free will relates to higher internal attributions, as compared with external attributions, irrespective of success and failure. Meta-analytic evidence across five high-powered studies (total N = 1,137) supports the intention attribution hypothesis, but not the resource hypothesis (materials and data are available on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/2a89c/).

AB - Past research indicates that individuals’ belief in free will is related to attributing others’ behavior to internal causes. An open question is whether belief in free will is related to the attribution of one’s own action. To answer this question, we tested two opposing predictions against each other by assessing the relation of belief in free will with the self-serving bias—individuals’ tendency to attribute personal success more strongly to internal forces and failure to external forces. The resource hypothesis predicts that a higher endorsement in free will belief relates to a lower self-serving bias. The intention attribution hypothesis predicts that belief in free will relates to higher internal attributions, as compared with external attributions, irrespective of success and failure. Meta-analytic evidence across five high-powered studies (total N = 1,137) supports the intention attribution hypothesis, but not the resource hypothesis (materials and data are available on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/2a89c/).

KW - free will belief

KW - intention attribution

KW - self-regulation

KW - self-serving bias

KW - Business psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123941583&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/63be21c8-3009-3944-bcae-0bbe3d340b87/

U2 - 10.1177/19485506211057711

DO - 10.1177/19485506211057711

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85123941583

VL - 13

SP - 1259

EP - 1268

JO - Social Psychological and Personality Science

JF - Social Psychological and Personality Science

SN - 1948-5506

IS - 8

ER -

Related by journal

Gendered Self-Views Across 62 Countries: A Test of Competing Models

Kosakowska-Berezecka, N., Bosson, J. K., Jurek, P., Besta, T., Olech, M., Vandello, J. A., Bender, M., Dandy, J., Hoorens, V., Jasinskaja-Lahti, I., Mankowski, E., Venäläinen, S., Abuhamdeh, S., Agyemang, C. B., Akbaş, G., Albayrak-Aydemir, N., Ammirati, S., Anderson, J., Anjum, G., Ariyanto, A., Aruta, J. J. B. R., Ashraf, M., Bakaitytė, A., Becker, M., Bertolli, C., Bërxulli, D., Best, D. L., Bi, C., Block, K., Boehnke, M., Bongiorno, R., Bosak, J., Casini, A., Chen, Q., Chi, P., Cubela Adoric, V., Daalmans, S., de Lemus, S., Dhakal, S., Dvorianchikov, N., Egami, S., Etchezahar, E., Esteves, C. S., Froehlich, L., Garcia-Sanchez, E., Gavreliuc, A., Gavreliuc, D., Gomez, Á., Guizzo, F., Graf, S., Greijdanus, H., Grigoryan, A., Grzymała-Moszczyńska, J., Guerch, K., Gustafsson Sendén, M., Hale, M. L., Hämer, H., Hirai, M., Hoang Duc, L., Hřebíčková, M., Hutchings, P. B., Jensen, D. H., Karabati, S., Kelmendi, K., Kengyel, G., Khachatryan, N., Ghazzawi, R., Kinahan, M., Kirby, T. A., Kovacs, M., Kozlowski, D., Krivoshchekov, V., Kryś, K., Kulich, C., Kurosawa, T., Lac An, N. T., Labarthe-Carrara, J., Lauri, M. A., Latu, I., Lawal, A. M., Li, J., Lindner, J., Lindqvist, A., Maitner, A. T., Makarova, E., Makashvili, A., Malayeri, S., Malik, S., Mancini, T., Manzi, C., Mari, S., Martiny, S. E., Mayer, C. H., Mihić, V., MiloševićĐorđević, J., Moreno-Bella, E., Moscatelli, S., Moynihan, A. B., Muller, D., Narhetali, E., Neto, F., Noels, K. A., Nyúl, B., O’Connor, E. C., Ochoa, D. P., Ohno, S., Olanrewaju Adebayo, S., Osborne, R., Pacilli, M. G., Palacio, J., Patnaik, S., Pavlopoulos, V., de León, P. P., Piterová, I., Porto, J. B., Puzio, A., Pyrkosz-Pacyna, J., Rentería Pérez, E., Renström, E., Rousseaux, T., Ryan, M. K., Safdar, S., Sainz, M., Salvati, M., Samekin, A., Schindler, S., Sevincer, A. T., Seydi, M., Shepherd, D., Sherbaji, S., Schmader, T., Simão, C., Sobhie, R., Sobiecki, J., De Souza, L., Sarter, E., Sulejmanović, D., Sullivan, K. E., Tatsumi, M., Tavitian-Elmadjian, L., Thakur, S. J., Thi Mong Chi, Q., Torre, B., Torres, A., Torres, C. V., Türkoğlu, B., Ungaretti, J., Valshtein, T., Van Laar, C., van der Noll, J., Vasiutynskyi, V., Vauclair, C. M., Vohra, N., Walentynowicz, M., Ward, C., Włodarczyk, A., Yang, Y., Yzerbyt, V., Zanello, V., Zapata-Calvente, A. L., Zawisza, M., Žukauskienė, R. & Żadkowska, M., 09.2023, In: Social Psychological and Personality Science. 14, 7, p. 808-824 17 p.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

Global Consciousness Predicts Behavioral Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence From 35 Cultures

Chen, S. X., Ng, J. C. K., Hui, B. P. H., Au, A. K. Y., Lam, B. C. P., Wu, W. C. H., Pun, N., Beattie, P., Welzel, C. & Liu, J. H., 01.06.2023, In: Social Psychological and Personality Science. 14, 5, p. 662-671 10 p.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

A Multilab Replication of the Ego Depletion Effect

Dang, J., Barker, P., Baumert, A., Bentvelzen, M., Berkman, E., Buchholz, N., Buczny, J., Chen, Z., De Cristofaro, V., de Vries, L., Dewitte, S., Giacomantonio, M., Gong, R., Homan, M., Imhoff, R., Ismail, I., Jia, L., Kubiak, T., Lange, F., Li, D. Y., Livingston, J., Ludwig, R., Panno, A., Pearman, J., Rassi, N., Schiöth, H. B., Schmitt, M., Sevincer, A. T., Shi, J., Stamos, A., Tan, Y. C., Wenzel, M., Zerhouni, O., Zhang, L. W., Zhang, Y. J. & Zinkernagel, A., 01.2021, In: Social Psychological and Personality Science. 12, 1, p. 14-24 11 p.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

Professional Judges’ Disbelief in Free Will Does Not Decrease Punishment

Genschow, O., Hawickhorst, H., Rigoni, D., Aschermann, E. & Brass, M., 01.04.2021, In: Social Psychological and Personality Science. 12, 3, p. 357-362 6 p.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

“Terrorist” or “Mentally Ill”: Motivated Biases Rooted in Partisanship Shape Attributions About Violent Actors

Noor, M., Kteily, N., Siem, B. & Mazziotta, A., 01.05.2019, In: Social Psychological and Personality Science. 10, 4, p. 485-493 9 p.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

Other publications by the same author(s)

Automatic Imitation

Genschow, O. & Cracco, E., 2025, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Research output: Books and anthologies › Book

Introduction to Automatic Imitation

Genschow, O. & Cracco, E., 2025, Automatic Imitation. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG, p. 1-7

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review

Social Modulation of Imitative Behavior

Genschow, O. & Cracco, E., 2025, Automatic Imitation. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, p. 219–239

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review

Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries

Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M. M., Grayson, S. J., Patel, Y., Goldwert, D., Pei, Y., Chakroff, A., Pronizius, E., Broek, K. L. V. D., Vlasceanu, D., Constantino, S., Morais, M. J., Schumann, P., Rathje, S., Fang, K., Aglioti, S. M., Alfano, M., Alvarado-Yepez, A. J., Andersen, A., Anseel, F., Apps, M. A. J., Asadli, C., Awuor, F. J., Azevedo, F., Basaglia, P., Bélanger, J. J., Berger, S., Bertin, P., Białek, M., Bialobrzeska, O., Blaya-Burgo, M., Bleize, D. N. M., Bø, S., Boecker, L., Boggio, P. S., Borau, S., Bos, B., Bouguettaya, A., Brauer, M., Brick, C., Brik, T., Briker, R., Brosch, T., Buchel, O., Buonauro, D., Butalia, R., Carvacho, H., Chamberlain, S. A. E., Chan, H-Y., Chow, D., Chung, D., Cian, L., Cohen-Eick, N., Contreras-Huerta, L. S., Contu, D., Cristea, V., Cutler, J., D'Ottone, S., Keersmaecker, J. D., Delcourt, S., Delouvée, S., Diel, K., Douglas, B. D., Drupp, M. A., Dubey, S., Ekmanis, J., Elbaek, C. T., Elsherif, M., Engelhard, I. M., Escher, Y. A., Etienne, T. W., Farage, L., Farias, A. R., Feuerriegel, S., Findor, A., Freira, L., Friese, M., Gains, N. P., Gallyamova, A., Geiger, S. J., Genschow, O., Gjoneska, B., Gkinopoulos, T., Goldberg, B., Goldenberg, A., Gradidge, S., Grassini, S., Gray, K., Grelle, S., Griffin, S. M., Grigoryan, L., Grigoryan, A., Grigoryev, D., Gruber, J., Guilaran, J., Hadar, B., Hahnel, U. J. J., Halperin, E., Harvey, A. J., Haugestad, C. A. P., Herman, A. M., Hershfield, H. E., Himichi, T., Hine, D. W., Hofmann, W., Howe, L., Huaman-Chulluncuy, E. T., Huang, G., Ishii, T., Ito, A., Jia, F., Jost, J. T., Jovanović, V., Jurgiel, D., Kácha, O., Kankaanpää, R., Kantorowicz, J., Kantorowicz-Reznichenko, E., Mintz, K. K., Kaya, I., Kaya, O., Khachatryan, N., Klas, A., Klein, C., Klöckner, C. A., Koppel, L., Kosachenko, A. I., Kothe, E. J., Krebs, R., Krosch, A. R., Krouwel, A. P. M., Kyrychenko, Y., Lagomarsino, M., Lamm, C., Lange, F., Cunningham, J. L., Lees, J., Leung, T. Y., Levy, N., Lockwood, P. L., Longoni, C., Ortega, A. L., Loschelder, D. D., Lu, J. G., Luo, Y., Luomba, J., Lutz, A. E., Majer, J. M., Markowitz, E., Marsh, A. A., Mascarenhas, K. L., Mbilingi, B., Mbungu, W., McHugh, C., Meijers, M. H. C., Mercier, H., Mhagama, F. L., Michalakis, K., Mikus, N., Milliron, S., Mitkidis, P., Monge-Rodríguez, F. S., Mora, Y. L., Moreau, D., Motoki, K., Moyano, M., Mus, M., Navajas, J., Nguyen, T. L., Nguyen, D. M., Nguyen, T., Niemi, L., Nijssen, S. R. R., Nilsonne, G., Nitschke, J. P., Nockur, L., Okura, R., Öner, S., Özdoğru, A. A., Palumbo, H., Panagopoulos, C., Panasiti, M. S., Pärnamets, P., Paruzel-Czachura, M., Pavlov, Y. G., Payán-Gómez, C., Pearson, A. R., Costa, L. P. D., Petrowsky, H. M., Pfattheicher, S., Pham, N. T., Ponizovskiy, V., Pretus, C., Rêgo, G. G., Reimann, R., Rhoads, S. A., Riano-Moreno, J., Richter, I., Röer, J. P., Rosa-Sullivan, J., Ross, R. M., Sabherwal, A., Saito, T., Sarrasin, O., Say, N., Schmid, K., Schmitt, M. T., Schoenegger, P., Scholz, C., Schug, M. G., Schulreich, S., Shreedhar, G., Shuman, E., Sivan, S., Sjåstad, H., Soliman, M., Soud, K., Spampatti, T., Sparkman, G., Spasovski, O., Stanley, S. K., Stern, J. A., Strahm, N., Suko, Y., Sul, S., Syropoulos, S., Taylor, N. C., Tedaldi, E., Tinghög, G., Huynh, L. D. T., Travaglino, G. A., Tsakiris, M., Tüter, İ., Tyrala, M., Uluğ, Ö. M., Urbanek, A., Valko, D., Linden, S. V. D., Schie, K. V., Stekelenburg, A. V., Vanags, E., Västfjäll, D., Vesely, S., Vintr, J., Vranka, M., Wanguche, P. O., Willer, R., Wojcik, A. D., Xu, R., Yadav, A., Zawisza, M., Zhao, X., Zhao, J., Żuk, D. & Bavel, J. J. V., 09.02.2024, In: Science Advances. 10, 6, 19 p., eadj5778.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

Correction: The Open Anchoring Quest Dataset: Anchored Estimates from 96 Studies on Anchoring Effects (Journal of Open Psychology Data, (2022), 10, 1, (16), 10.5334/jopd.67)

Röseler, L., Weber, L., Helgerth, K., Stich, E., Günther, M., Tegethoff, P., Wagner, F. S., Ambrus, E., Antunovic, M., Barrera-Lemarchand, F., Halali, E., Ioannidis, K., Genschow, O., McKay, R., Milstein, N., Molden, D. C., Papenmeier, F., Pavlovic, Z., Rinn, R., Schreiter, M. L., Zimdahl, M. F., Allen, E., Bahník, Š., Bermeitinger, C., Blower, F. B. N., Bögler, H. L., Burgmer, P., Cheek, N. N., Dorsch, L., Fels, S. A., Frech, M. L., Freira, L., Harris, A. J. L., Hartig, B., Häusser, J. A., Hedgebeth, M. V., Henkel, M., Horvath, D., Imhoff, R., Intelmann, P., Klamar, A., Knappe, E., Köppel, L-M. A., Krueger, S. M., Lagator, S., Bóo, F. L., Navajas, J., Norem, J. K., Novak, J., Onuki, Y., Page, E., Pearton, J., Ponader, S., Rebholz, T. R., Rostekova, A., Sartorio, M., Schindler, S., Seida, C., Shanks, D. R., Siems, M. C., Speekenbrink, M., Stäglich, P., Starkulla, M., Stitz, M., Straube, T., Thies, K., Thum, E., Ueda, K., Undorf, M., Urlichich, D., Vadillo, M. A., Wolf, A. H., Zhou, A. & Schütz, A., 23.08.2024, In: Journal of Open Psychology Data. 12, 1, 3 p., 8.

Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211057711
Final published version

Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception

Standard

Harvard

APA

Vancouver

Bibtex

RIS

Related by journal

Other publications by the same author(s)

DOI