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Unethical behavior and cheating have many social implications. In a series of experiments, researchers examined whether cheating alters the cheater's perception of ability — whether cheating produces self-deception.
College students took a short examination that assessed general knowledge and intelligence. However, some were allowed to view the answer key while taking the test. Not surprisingly, the participants who could cheat performed better than those who could not (controls). Predicted performance on a hypothetical future test was higher among cheaters than among controls (i.e., cheaters rationalized their superior performance — they “knew it all along”). In a second experiment, subjects completed a self-deception scale before taking th…