Effects of Purpose of the Appraisal and Expectation of Validation On Self-Appraisal Leniency

This study examined the effects of purpose of the appraisal and the expectation of validation on selfappraisal leniency. It was hypothesized that self-appraisals conducted under a grading purpose are more lenient than those conducted under a research purpose; self-appraisals obtained under conditions with high expectation of validation are less lenient than those obtained under conditions with low expectation of validation. Using 62 subjects enrolled in two sections of an organizational behavior course, a 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted to assess the effect of the purpose of the appraisal and expectation of validation on the amount of leniency in students' self-reports of classroom participation. Both hypotheses were strongly supported in this study. The results were discussed in terms of their relevance and implications for future self-appraisal research.