In Study 1, over 200 college students estimated how much their own chance of experiencing 42 events differed from the chances of their classmates. Overall, Ss rated their own chances to be significantly above average for positive events and below average for negative events. Cognitive and motivational considerations led to predictions that degree of desirability, …
Tag Archives: Unrealistic optimism
Burger, J. M., & Palmer, M. L. (1992). Changes in and generalization of unrealistic optimism following experiences with stressful events: Reactions to the 1989 California earthquake.
University students who experienced the 1989 California earthquake were asked a few days afterward to estimate the likelihood that they, the typical student at the school, and the average person their age would someday experience each of several negative life events, including being hurt in a natural disaster such as an earthquake. These responses were …