Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 509-521 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Social Cognition |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
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Lady justice thinks unconsciously : unconscious thought can lead to more accurate justice judgments. / Ham, J.R.C.; Bos, van den, K.; van Doorn, E.A.
In: Social Cognition, Vol. 27, No. 4, 2009, p. 509-521.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Lady justice thinks unconsciously : unconscious thought can lead to more accurate justice judgments
AU - Ham, J.R.C.
AU - Bos, van den, K.
AU - van Doorn, E.A.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - In this article, we argue that when forming justice judgments, unconscious thought can lead to more accurate justice judgments than both conscious thought and immediate judgment. In two experiments, participants formed justice judgments about complex job application procedures. Specifically, participants made comparative justice judgments (Experiment 1) or absolute justice judgments on rating scales (Experiment 2). In immediate judgment conditions, participants made a justice judgment immediately after reading the stimulus materials. In conscious thought conditions, participants consciously thought about their justice judgment for 3 minutes. In unconscious thought conditions, participants were distracted for 3 minutes and then reported their justice judgments. As predicted, findings of both experiments show that unconscious thinkers made the most accurate justice judgments. These results provide a new perspective on the social psychology of justice judgments and yield additional insight into unconscious thinking.
AB - In this article, we argue that when forming justice judgments, unconscious thought can lead to more accurate justice judgments than both conscious thought and immediate judgment. In two experiments, participants formed justice judgments about complex job application procedures. Specifically, participants made comparative justice judgments (Experiment 1) or absolute justice judgments on rating scales (Experiment 2). In immediate judgment conditions, participants made a justice judgment immediately after reading the stimulus materials. In conscious thought conditions, participants consciously thought about their justice judgment for 3 minutes. In unconscious thought conditions, participants were distracted for 3 minutes and then reported their justice judgments. As predicted, findings of both experiments show that unconscious thinkers made the most accurate justice judgments. These results provide a new perspective on the social psychology of justice judgments and yield additional insight into unconscious thinking.
U2 - 10.1521/soco.2009.27.4.509
DO - 10.1521/soco.2009.27.4.509
M3 - Article
VL - 27
SP - 509
EP - 521
JO - Social Cognition
JF - Social Cognition
SN - 0278-016x
IS - 4
ER -