Journal of Education and Psychology

Abstract

Using a modified TST method, this study tested the role of self-serving bias played in participants’ memories of performing and receiving favors. The results of this study showed that when the target of favor-doing was ambiguous, participants recalled more I-helped-other episodes than that of other-helped-me. In the meanwhile, the average efforts of I-helped-other episodes were higher than the efforts of other-helped-me. Further analysis found that the effect of self-serving bias was mainly from episodes of high effort, namely, the participants recalled more I-helped-other big favors, but similar frequency of triviality for I-helped-other and other-helped-me. This study also found that the favor efforts participants retrieved were moderated by the level of one’s self-esteem. Participants high in self-esteem rated the efforts of I-helped-other significantly higher than that of other-helped-me, whereas, participants low in self-esteem did not rate them differently.

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