Stepping into their shoes: Reducing the actor-observer discrepancy in judgments of infidelity through the experimental manipulation of perspective-taking

ABSTRACT

The goal of the current study was to examine whether perspective-taking could be an effective method for reducing the actor-observer bias seen in judgments of infidelity. Specifically, 708 adults judged the extent to which 32 behaviors were indicative of infidelity after being assigned to one of nine conditions in which the person engaging in infidelity (actor, partner, stranger) and the perspective-taking instructions (perspective-taking, stay objective, no instructions) were manipulated. Overall, the actor-observer and perspective-taking manipulations significantly affected judgments of the technology/online and solitary forms of infidelity. Adults in the perspective-taking condition judged their partner’s and a stranger’s technology/online behaviors as less indicative of infidelity than their own and their partner’s solitary behaviors as more indicative of infidelity than their own or a stranger’s. These results indicate that perspective-taking impacts infidelity judgments but only for certain behaviors. Implications and recommendations are outlined for clinicians and researchers working with and studying romantic couples.

KEYWORDS:

• Actor-observer bias
• infidelity
• perspective-taking
• romantic relationships

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Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/dmbkw/

Open Scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open science badges for Open Data and Open Materials through Open Practices Disclosure. The data and materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/dmbkw/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Danica Kulibert

Danica Kulibert , M.S., is a graduate student at Tulane University. Her research interests include prejudice and stigmas different groups face. Her main research focuses on different factors that impact intergroup interactions (e.g., threat, attitudes, perceptions) and methods that can improve those interactions both at a group and an individual level (e.g., perspective-taking, knowledge, exposure).

Ashley E. Thompson

Ashley E. Thompson , is a social and quantitative psychologist and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her primary program of research is designed to investigate attitudes and judgments relating to romantic and sexual relationships, the onset and maintenance of these relationships, and the role of gender in romantic and sexual experiences.