ABSTRACT
When you ask each spouse of a married couple to estimate the percentage of their own contribution to the housework, the chances are high that each spouse will overestimate their own contribution, so that the sum exceeds one hundred percent. People normally overestimate their own contribution to the joint product of a group (Ross & Sicoly, 1979). These authors found this effect in naturally occurring discussion groups, basketball players, groups assembled in the laboratory, and married couples. Why do people behave in this way? One explanation would be that people are motivated to see themselves in a positive light and therefore overestimate their contribution to a joint product. It is, however, possible that cognitive processes alone, without any involvement of motivational processes, account for the observed overestimation.
