The Effect of Anonymity, Expectation of Validation, and Expected Reward, on the Accuracy of Self-Evaluations of Ability

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of anonymity, expectation of validation, and expected reward on the accuracy of self-evaluations of ability. One-hundred twenty undergraduate students were administered a reading test measuring reading abilities. The participants then made self-evaluations regarding their performance on the reading test. Participants received instructions designed to manipulate the expectation that their performance scores on the reading test would serve to validate their self-evaluations. Additional instructions manipulated the anonymity or identifiability of self-evaluations and the expected reward related to self-evaluations. Participants who expected their identifiable self-evaluations to be validated were accurate. In contrast, when self-evaluations could be identified and validation was not expected, participants self-enhanced and were not accurate. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of self-evaluations to organizations. It is suggested that task difficulty may interact with other factors that affect the accuracy of self-evaluations.