Jager, Antonia (2025) The Influence of Moral Grandstanding on Perceived Consensus. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
|
Text
The-Influence-of-Moral-Grandstanding-on-Perceived-ConsensusThesisA.H.Jager.pdf Download (555kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Previous literature has suggested multiple negative effects of moral grandstanding, the use of moral talk to increase one’s moral status, on public moral discourse as well as interpersonal relationships. However, its impact on the perception of consensus has not yet been subject to research. This study explored the effects of moral grandstanding on perceived consensus regarding the subject discussed by the grandstander. Additionally, previous agreement with the topic was included as a moderator variable. It was hypothesized that moral grandstanding would increase the perception of consensus, and that this effect would be stronger for those who agreed with the grandstander’s views than for those who did not. To research these hypotheses, an experiment was conducted using a sample of 146 participants. Participants were exposed to a fictional online discussion and placed either in the experimental condition, which included a grandstanding comment, or in the control condition, which included a non- grandstanding comment. Contrary to the hypotheses, results showed a negative effect of moral grandstanding on perceived consensus, and no moderating effect of agreement with the topic. The findings presented in this paper support the notion of potentially negative effects of moral grandstanding on public moral discussions, as it might skew perceptions of consensus among the general population. This has implications both for individual communication as well as larger contexts, such as public discourse in real life and on social media.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Meerholz, E.W. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jul 2025 07:37 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jul 2025 07:37 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5430 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |