In one study of the spotlight effect, participants who arrived individually were asked to put on a T-shirt printed with an image that they found embarrassing. Then, these participants were asked to enter another room where a group of other participants sat. After just a few moments, the T-shirt wearer left the room. What were the results of this study?
A) T-shirt wearers who reported extremely high levels of embarrassment were remembered better than wearers who reported extremely low levels of embarrassment.
B) T-shirt wearers who reported extremely low levels of embarrassment were remembered better than wearers who reported extremely high levels of embarrassment.
C) T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-half of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter. But only about one-quarter of the group members actually made a correct identification.
D) T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-quarter of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter. But about one-half of the group made a correct identification.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The study found that T-shirt wearers estimated that about one-half of the group would be able to identify the person pictured on the T-shirt when asked later on by the experimenter. However, only about one-quarter of the group members actually made a correct identification. This suggests that the spotlight effect may lead people to overestimate the extent to which others are paying attention to them.

In One Study of the Spotlight Effect, Participants Who Arrived