The specific aim of the proposed research is to explore the mediating mechanisms underlying motivationally based cognitive distortions. Defined more broadly, this research explores the means by which people impose wishful interpretations upon ambiguous and unambiguous stimuli. Understanding the mechanisms involved in biased thought may shed light on many important areas in psychology. For example, in psychotherapy research, the mechanism of thought suppression suggested to be involved in wishful thinking, may also underlie defense mechanisms. In addition, the stress and coping literature contains many examples of commonly observed distortions of severe illness symptoms as benign, and of information indicating impending threat or danger as not very severe. Denying a diagnosis of cancer, not getting yearly check-ups, avoiding mammogram tests, smoking, engaging in uprotected sex, and drinking and driving are all examples of biased thinking which result from the presence of motivationally incongruent information or evidence. Two mechanisms, suppression and lack of integration are suggested as possible means by which people's wishes affect their thoughts. These mechanisms will be explored in the context of a contest paradigm wherein subjects expect to compete against an opposing team in a quiz game. When subjects are motivated to succeed (because of a potential monetary reward of chronic wishful thinking), information about an opponent's superior ability will either be suppressed or not integrated, allowing the subjects to engage wishful thinking. Variables thought to influence this process, such as accuracy instructions, priming, and information sequence will be explored in the proposal studies.
