Evaluating Advice: Self-Presentational Biases between High and Low Self-Monitors

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that high and low self-monitors sought advice from others who shared their underlying motivational dispositions. Here, three studies extend the prior research by exploring how consumers’ underlying motives direct the type of advice offered and how it is evaluated. In Study 1, high and low self-monitors were asked to evaluate the advice they gave others. As predicted, high self-monitors rated their advice more favorably than did low self-monitors. The underlying motivation that caused high self-monitors to evaluate their advice more positively was investigated in Study 2. Results indicated that high self-monitors rated their advice higher because it appeared to be meeting a social-adjustive function (i.e., self-presentational needs). In Study 3, high and low self-monitors created an advertisement that featured their advice on dating for a fictitious online matchmaking service. As expected, advertisements created by high self-monitors contained advice that addressed social-adjustive needs while those created by low self-monitors contained advice that addressed value-expressive needs. The results of these studies suggest that underlying motivations of the individual play an active role in how advice is crafted and evaluated. C � 2012 Wiley