ArticleEvolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior2015
The Watching-Eye Effect on Prosocial Lying.
Article in Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Big brother: the effects of surveillance on fundamental aspects of social vision.Neuroscience of consciousness · 2024Article
- Psychosocial Dimensions of Recycling in Small Island: Psycho-Environmental Diagnostic and Evidence-Based Intervention in Martinique.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Hunters and Gatherers of Pictures: Why Photography Has Become a Human Universal.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- "Watching Eyes" Triggers Third-Party Punishment: The Role of Emotion Within the Eyes.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Article
- Self-control in Online Discussions: Disinhibited Online Behavior as a Failure to Recognize Social Cues.Frontiers in psychology · 2017Article
- Butterfly Eyespots: Their Potential Influence on Aesthetic Preferences and Conservation Attitudes.PloS one · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Evidence shows that people tend to behave prosocially when they are in the presence of images depicting eyes. There are two proximate causes of the eyes effect. One involves positive motivation to gain future reward and the other involves negative motivation to avoid violating a norm. Although several studies have suggested that positive motivation is a strong candidate, these studies were unable to distinguish between adherence to norms and prosocial behavior. We investigated the watching-eyes effect in an experimental setting to determine whether the tendency of humans to violate norms voluntarily could be understood as prosocial behavior. We compared the tendency to tell "prosocial lies" in the presence of a depiction of stylized eyes (eyes condition) with that involving no such depiction (control condition). Under the control condition, participants tended to tell lies that benefitted others, whereas the tendency toward prosocial lying disappeared under the eyes condition. This suggests that the desire to avoid violating norms by being honest is stronger than the desire to pursue a good reputation by demonstrating generosity when such violation might lead to serious costs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.