View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Kölner UniversitätsPublikationsServer Keep your fingers crossed! The influence of superstition on subsequent task performance and its mediating mechanism Von der Humanwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität zu Köln angenommene Inauguraldissertation nach der Promotionsordnung vom 12. Juli 2007 vorgelegt von Dipl.-Psych. Lysann Damisch geboren in Löbau Köln, Mai 2008 Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Thomas Mussweiler Zweitgutachterin: PD. Dr. Birte Englich Tag der Disputation: 16. Juli 2008 II ACKNOWLEDGMENT In the process of developing, executing, and writing this dissertation, I received much help from several colleagues and friends. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all of them. Special thanks go to Thomas Mussweiler who supervised this dissertation and kept me going with countless invaluable words of advice and an unlimited sense of optimism. I also want to thank my colleagues at Social Cognition Cologne, Katja Corcoran, Jan Crusius, Birte Englich, Kai Epstude, Karlene Hanko, Tanja Hundhammer, and Jennifer Mayer, as well as the participants of the postgraduate colloquium for helping me with innumerable suggestions and discussions. I am especially indebted to Pascal Burgmer, Matthias Forstmann, Laura Geisel, Julia Hüwe, Astrid Jansen, Alexander Kikiela, Jan Lahrmann, Ann-Christin Posten, Julia Scholz, Christian Srbeny, Barbara Stoberock, and Judith Weigand for collecting the data. Many thanks go to Stefanie Lang who coordinated the laboratory sessions and Karlene Hanko for her support on language issues. Finally, I’d like to give the most sincere thanks to all of those who helped me with their warm-hearted and caring support by offering me so much understanding, patience, encouragement, interest, and love. Thank you Mom and Dad, Boris, Sally, Tanja, Gerda, Wolfgang, A & B, …!!! III TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................VII DEUTSCHE KURZZUSAMMENFASSUNG ..................................................... VIII INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 10 THEORETICAL PART.......................................................................................... 12 The prevalence of superstitions..................................................................... 12 Incidence of superstition ........................................................................12 Change of prevalence over time.............................................................12 Superstitious half-beliefs........................................................................13 The superstitious personality ........................................................................ 13 Demographics of superstition................................................................13 Superstition and gender.........................................................................13 Superstition and age...............................................................................14 Superstition and level of education .......................................................14 Superstition and personality traits .......................................................14 Superstitious groups ...................................................................................... 15 Superstitious students ............................................................................15 Superstitious athletes .............................................................................16 Similarities of students and athletes......................................................16 The —superstitious situation“......................................................................... 17 Superstitious situations in sports ..........................................................18 Superstition and experienced psychological stress ..............................19 Superstition and experienced uncontrollability...................................19 The benefits of superstitions .........................................................................20 The influence of superstition on performance enhancement ...............20 The prevention of performance impairment by superstitions.............21 First research question ..................................................................................23 The mechanism of performance influence....................................................24 Self-efficacy ....................................................................................................25 Description of the self-efficacy concept .................................................25 Influence of self-efficacy beliefs on intellectual achievement...............26 Influence of self-efficacy beliefs on athletic achievement.....................27 Dimension and characteristics of self-efficacy beliefs..........................28 IV Implication of self-efficacy specificity...................................................29 Psychological benefits of superstition...........................................................30 Correlates of belief in good luck.............................................................31 Illusion of control....................................................................................32 Second research question ..............................................................................34 Summary ........................................................................................................35 The present research......................................................................................36 EMPIRICAL PART ...............................................................................................38 Study 1............................................................................................................38 Methods ...................................................................................................38 Results .....................................................................................................39 Study 2............................................................................................................40 Methods ...................................................................................................41 Results .....................................................................................................42 Discussion................................................................................................43 Study 3............................................................................................................44 Methods ...................................................................................................44 Results .....................................................................................................45 Discussion................................................................................................46 Study 4............................................................................................................47 Methods ...................................................................................................47 Results .....................................................................................................48 Discussion................................................................................................50 Study 5............................................................................................................ 51 Methods ...................................................................................................52 Results .....................................................................................................55 Discussion................................................................................................59 Study 6........................................................................................................... 60 Methods ...................................................................................................61 Results .....................................................................................................63 Discussion................................................................................................66 GENERAL DISCUSSION.....................................................................................70 Significance of the present findings ..............................................................70 Alternative Explanations ...............................................................................72 Performance enhancement as mood effect ...........................................72 Performance enhancement as a request ...............................................73 V Distinction between superstitions and pre-performance routines......74 Maintenance of superstitions ........................................................................ 75 Relation to previous research........................................................................ 77 Influences on task performance.............................................................77 Self-efficacy œ performance link............................................................77 Effect of superstition on self-efficacy.....................................................78 Implications for future directions .................................................................79