Motivated beliefs

Nina Xue; Xiaojian Zhao

doi:10.4337/9781802207736.00097

Motivated beliefs

Nina Xue, Xiaojian Zhao

Department of Economics

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Encyclopaedia / Dictionary Entry › Other › peer-review

Abstract

Research on motivated beliefs examines the tendency for information to be processed in a biased manner and is often observed in the context of beliefs about one's own ability and morality. Motivated cognition can arise due to a desire to maintain a positive self-view as well as serve an instrumental role in motivation or in persuading others in social interactions. Such beliefs may be produced by avoiding negative information, discounting undesirable signals relative to positive ones, engaging in costly signalling behaviour, and strategic misremembering.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Elgar Encyclopedia of Behavioural and Experimental Economics
Editors	Swee-Hoon Chuah, Robert Hoffmann, Ananta Neelim
Place of Publication	Cheltenham UK
Publisher	Edward Elgar Publishing
Chapter	91
Pages	312-315
Number of pages	4
Edition	1st
ISBN (Electronic)	9781802207736
ISBN (Print)	9781802207729
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802207736.00097
Publication status	Published - 2025

Keywords

Experiments
Memory
Motivated Beliefs
Motivated Cognition
Overconfidence

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10.4337/9781802207736.00097

Cite this

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AB - Research on motivated beliefs examines the tendency for information to be processed in a biased manner and is often observed in the context of beliefs about one's own ability and morality. Motivated cognition can arise due to a desire to maintain a positive self-view as well as serve an instrumental role in motivation or in persuading others in social interactions. Such beliefs may be produced by avoiding negative information, discounting undesirable signals relative to positive ones, engaging in costly signalling behaviour, and strategic misremembering.

KW - Experiments

KW - Memory

KW - Motivated Beliefs

KW - Motivated Cognition

KW - Overconfidence

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105008839249

U2 - 10.4337/9781802207736.00097

DO - 10.4337/9781802207736.00097

M3 - Encyclopaedia / Dictionary Entry

AN - SCOPUS:105008839249

SN - 9781802207729

SP - 312

EP - 315

BT - Elgar Encyclopedia of Behavioural and Experimental Economics

A2 - Chuah, Swee-Hoon

A2 - Hoffmann, Robert

A2 - Neelim, Ananta

PB - Edward Elgar Publishing

CY - Cheltenham UK

ER -

Motivated beliefs

Abstract

Keywords

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