Psychological Development and Education ›› 2018, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (6): 664-671.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2018.06.04

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Why Cheating Is Contagious: The Mediating Effect of Social Loss and Attitude Toward Cheating

SHU Shouli1, SANG Qingsong1, GUO Yongyu2, HUANG Xiting3   

  1. 1. School of Educational Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000;
    2. School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097;
    3. School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715
  • Online:2018-11-15 Published:2018-12-27

PDF (PC)

Abstract: In order to explain why exam cheating is contagious, this research explored the effect of others' cheating on one's own cheating intention in the college exams and assumed that others' cheating had effect on one's own cheating intention through the serial mediation effects of social loss and attitude toward cheating. A sample of 765 undergraduates were recruited for the study. They were required to complete a battery of questionnaires, including others' cheating questionnaire, social loss questionnaire, attitude toward cheating questionnaire, cheating intention Questionnaire. After controlling for gender, grade, the school time when first cheating happened and the school time when frequent cheating happened, the research found that:(1) others' cheating positively predicted one's own cheating intention; (2) social loss mediated the relationship between other's cheating and one's own cheating intention; (3) social loss and attitude toward cheating play a serial mediation role in the relationship between other's cheating and one's own cheating intention.

Key words: others' cheating, social loss, attitude toward cheating, cheating intention

CLC Number: 

  • B844
Akeley S. J., & Miller, A. N. (2012). The effects of instructor fear appeals and moral appeals on cheating-related attitudes and behavior of university students. Ethics & Behavior, 22(3), 196-207.
Allen, J., Fuller, D., & Luckett, M. (1998). Academic integrity:Behaviors, rates, and attitudes of business students toward cheating. Journal of Marketing Education, 20(1), 41-52.
Alleyne, P., & Phillips, K. (2011). Exploring academic dishonesty among university students in Barbados:an extension to the theory of planned behaviour. Journal of Academic Ethics, 9(4), 323-338.
Anderman, E. M., & Won, S. (2017). Academic Cheating in Disliked Classes. Ethics & Behavior, 1-22.
Antenucci, J., Tackett, J., Wolf, F., & Claypool, G. (2010). The rationalization of academic dishonesty in business students. Journal of Business and Accounting, 2(1), 77-92.
BBC. (2012).45,000 caught cheating at Britain's universities. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/45000-caught-cheating-at-britains-universities-7555109.html
BBC. (2015). India students caught ‘cheating’ in exams in Bihar. Retrieved March 19, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-31960557
Becker, T. E., Atinc, G., Breaugh, J. A., Carlson, K. D., Edwards, J. R., & Spector, P. E. (2016). Statistical control in correlational studies:10 essential recommendations for organizational researchers. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(2), 157-167.
Bernardi, R. A., Banzhoff, C. A., Martino, A. M., & Savasta, K. J. (2012).Challenges to academic integrity:Identifying the factors associated with the cheating chain. Accounting Education, 21(3), 247-263.
Bernerth, J. B., & Aguinis, H. (2016). A critical review and best-practice recommendations for control variable usage. Personnel Psychology, 69(1), 229-283.
Btachnio, A., & Weremko, M. (2011). Academic cheating is contagious:The influence of the presence of others on honesty. A study report. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 1(1), 14-19.
Brodie, S., Hunter, S., McNeilly, V., Takla, S., & Zirk, A. (2014). To Cheat or not to cheat:A study focused on student and professor perspectives about academic dishonesty. MacEwan University Student eJournal, 1(1), 53-80.
Carrell, S. E., Malmstrom, F. V., & West, J. E. (2008). Peer effects in academic cheating. Journal of Human Resources, 43(1), 173-207.
Cooper, J., Blackman, S., & Keller, K. (2015). The science of attitudes. New York and London:Routledge.
Crano, W. D., & Prislin, R. (2008). Attitudes and attitude change (Frontiers of Social Psychology series). New York and London:Psychology Press.
Day, N. E., Hudson, D., Dobies, P. R., & Waris, R. (2011). Student or situation? Personality and classroom context as predictors of attitudes about business school cheating. Social Psychology of Education, 14(2), 261-282.
Delgado, M. R., Schotter, A., Ozbay, E. Y., & Phelps, E. A. (2008). Understanding overbidding:Using the neural circuitry of reward to design economic auctions. Science, 321(5897), 1849-1852.
DeVries, D. L., & Ajzen, I. (1971). The relationship of attitudes and normative beliefs to cheating in college. The Journal of Social Psychology, 83(2), 199-207.
Fang, F. C., & Casadevall, A. (2013). Why we cheat. Scientific American Mind, 24.31-37
Gamba, A., & Manzoni, E. (2014). Social comparison and risk taking behavior(No. 2014-001). Jena Economic Research Papers.
Gardner, W. M., & Melvin, K. B. (1988). A scale for measuring attitude toward cheating. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 26(5), 429-432.
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis:A regression-based approach. New York:Guilford Press.
Hsiao, C. H., & Yang, C. (2011). The impact of professional unethical beliefs on cheating intention. Ethics & Behavior, 21(4), 301-316.
Jordan, A. E. (2001). College student cheating:The role of motivation, perceived norms, attitudes, and knowledge of institutional policy. Ethics and Behavior, 11(3), 233-247.
Jurdi, R., Hage, H. S., & Chow, H. P. (2012). What behaviours do students consider academically dishonest? Findings from a survey of Canadian undergraduate students. Social Psychology of Education, 15(1), 1-23.
Lahno, A. M., & Serra-Garcia, M. (2014). Peer effects in risk taking(No. 4057). CESifo Working Paper.
Lim, N. (2010). Social loss aversion and optimal contest design. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(4), 777-787.
MacGregor, J., & Stuebs, M. (2012). To cheat or not to cheat:Rationalizing academic impropriety. Accounting Education, 21(3), 265-287.
McCabe, D. L., Butterfield, K. D., & Trevino, L. K. (2006). Academic dishonesty in graduate business programs:Prevalence, causes, and proposed action. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 5(3), 294-305.
McCabe, D. L., Trevio, L. K., & Butterfield, K. D. (2001). Cheating in academic institutions:A decade of research. Ethics &Behavior, 11(3), 219-232.
Nesi, J., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015). Using social media for social comparison and feedback-seeking:Gender and popularity moderate associations with depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(8), 1427-1438.
O'Rourke, J., Barnes, J., Deaton, A., Fulks, K., Ryan, K., & Rettinger, D. A. (2010). Imitation is the sincerest form of cheating:The influence of direct knowledge and attitudes on academic dishonesty. Ethics & Behavior, 20(1), 47-64.
Pulford, B. D., Woodward, B., & Taylor, E. (2018). Do social comparisons in academic settings relate to gender and academic self-confidence?. Social Psychology of Education, 21(3),677-690.
Rettinger, D. A., & Jordan, A. E. (2005). The relations among religion, motivation, and college cheating:A natural experiment. Ethics & Behavior, 15(2), 107-129.
Simkin, M. G., & McLeod, A. (2010). Why do college students cheat?.Journal of Business Ethics, 94(3), 441-453.
Staats, S., Hupp, J. M., & Hagley, A. M. (2008). Honesty and heroes:A positive psychology view of heroism and academic honesty. The Journal of Psychology, 142(4), 357-372.
Staats, S., Hupp, J. M., Wallace, H., & Gresley, J. (2009). Heroes don't cheat:An examination of academic dishonesty and students' views on why professors don't report cheating. Ethics & Behavior, 19(3), 171-183.
Stone, T. H., Jawahar, I. M., & Kisamore, J. L. (2010). Predicting academic misconduct intentions and behavior using the theory of planned behavior and personality. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 32(1), 35-45.
Teodorescu, D., & Andrei, T. (2009). Faculty and peer influences on academic integrity:College cheating in Romania. Higher Education, 57(3), 267-282.
Wang, D., Zhu, L., Maguire, P., Liu, Y., Pang, K., Li, Z., et al. (2016). The influence of social comparison and peer group size on risky decision-making. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-9.
Whitley, B. E. (1998). Factors associated with cheating among college students:A review. Research in higher education, 39(3), 235-274.
Williams, P., Kern, M. L., & Waters, L. (2016). Inside-out-outside-in:A dual approach process model to developing work happiness. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(2), 30-56.
Wray, B. A., Jones, A. T., Schuhmann, P. W., & Burrus, R. T. (2016). Determining the Propensity for Academic Dishonesty Using Decision Tree Analysis. Ethics & Behavior, 26(6), 470-487.
美国厚仁教育研究中心. (2015). 2015留美中国学生现状白皮书——开除学生群体状况分析. 2015-07-04取自http://www.wholeren.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-WhitePaper_CN.pdf
舒首立, 杨沈龙, 白洁, 郭永玉. (2017). 他人作弊与自己作弊:社会损失的中介作用和自尊的调节作用. 心理学探新, 37(1), 48-53.
谢晓非, 陆静怡. (2014). 风险决策中的双参照点效应. 心理科学进展, 22(4), 571-579.
[1] XIAO Fengqiu, ZHENG Zhiwei, CHEN Yinghe. The Contrast Effect of the Recipient's Outcomes on Prosocial Performance between Adults and Children [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2019, 35(3): 274-281.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited
  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!
Copyright 2018 © Editorial office of Psychological Development and Education
Supported by Beijing Magtech Co.Ltd