Abstract

The present study attempted to investigate the impact of task sucess and failure on outcome-biased inferences. In the first phase of the present study, the group membership was manipulated by performing picture arrangement test. The subjects were divided into two groups, high group and low group. The members of two groups answered three items intended to assess the ingroup and outgroup memebers' preference, intelligence, and competence. In the second phase of the study, the members of high group and low group were required to perform group decision making task. After completing group decision making task, the outcome of each group was manipulated so one group succeed and another group failed. The subjects answered the same questions with previous items. In the success condition, analysis of subjects' inferences revealed effects of outcome-biases. The subjects judged ingroup members to be more intelligent and competent when they succeed the task. The inferences made after the second phase were more positive than those made after the first phase. But in the fail condition, subjects did not make outcome biased inferences, perceiving both ingroup members and outgroup members as of about equal intelligence and competence. In this study, we were able to demonstrate the motivational effects on outcome biased inferences.