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Bogus Pipeline

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Definition

The bogus pipeline is an experimental technique that encourages honest responding by leading participants to believe that the experimenter has access to their true attitudes through the ostensible use of a lie-detecting device.

Introduction

The bogus pipeline technique generally involves the use of physiological equipment (e.g., a lie detector) that ostensibly allows the researcher to know if individuals are responding truthfully or not. Therefore, it is assumed that individuals – believing that the experimenter has access to their true attitudes – will respond more honestly (Jones and Sigall 1971). This technique has been used successfully in past research to collect self-reports on topics that may elicit a strong social desirability bias in participant responses such as attitudes toward race (Plant et al. 2003; Sigall and Page 1971), sexuality (Alexander and Fisher 2003; Fisher 2013), homosexuality (Boysen et al. 2006), and cheating (Fisher and Brunell 2014). The bogus...

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References

  • Alexander, M. G., & Fisher, T. D. (2003). Truth and consequences: Using the bogus pipeline to examine sex differences in self-reported sexuality. Journal of Sex Research, 40, 27–35.

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  • Boysen, G. A., Vogel, D. L., & Madon, S. (2006). A public versus private administration of the implicit association test. European Journal of Social Psychology, 36, 845–856.

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  • Brunell, A. B., & Fisher, T. D. (2014). Using the bogus pipeline to investigate grandiose narcissism. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 55, 37–42.

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  • Fisher, T. D. (2013). Gender roles and pressure to be truthful: The bogus pipeline modifies gender differences in sexual but not non-sexual behavior. Sex Roles, 68, 401–414.

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  • Fisher, T. D., & Brunell, A. B. (2014). A bogus pipeline approach to studying gender differences in cheating behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 61–62, 91–96.

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  • Jones, E. E., & Sigall, H. (1971). The bogus pipeline: A new paradigm for measuring affect and attitude. Psychological Bulletin, 76, 349–364.

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  • Myers, E. M., & Zeigler-Hill, V. (2012). How much do narcissists really like themselves? Using the bogus pipeline procedure to better understand the self-esteem of narcissists. Journal of Research in Personality, 46, 102–105.

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  • Plant, E. A., Devine, P. G., & Brazy, P. C. (2003). The bogus pipeline and motivations to respond without prejudice: Revisiting the fading and faking of racial prejudice. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 6, 187–200.

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  • Roese, N., & Jamieson, D. W. (1993). Twenty years of bogus pipeline research: A critical review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 363–375.

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  • Sigall, H., & Page, R. (1971). Current stereotypes: A little fading, a little faking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18, 247–255.

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Correspondence to Erin Myers .

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Myers, E. (2020). Bogus Pipeline. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1215

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