Synonyms
Definition
Self-reports are data that are sourced from written or verbal representation of individuals’ cognitions, emotions, attitudes, experiences, behavioral intentions, and/or beliefs about the self.
Introduction
Self-reports have been widely used in evolutionary psychology research targeting many domains (e.g., mate preference, tactics of deception, cooperation, and helping). While researchers using self-reports have been able to collect and examine data that would otherwise be unobtainable (e.g., sexual fantasies), the use of self-reports in evolutionary psychology has been challenged and criticized (see Shields and Steinke 2003). Although there are valid criticisms of the self-report method, such as the potential for respondents to provide deceptive answers or to have their answers be influenced by social desirability concerns, there is strong evidence to support the use of self-reports as a valid methodological tool...
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Martens, A.L., Miller, S.S., Saucier, D.A. (2016). Self-Reports. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1847-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1847-1
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