模仿对欺骗行为的影响及其中介机制*

房津如, 耿晓伟

心理科学 ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (6) : 1394-1407.

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心理科学 ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (6) : 1394-1407. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250609
基础、实验与工效

模仿对欺骗行为的影响及其中介机制*

  • 房津如1, 耿晓伟**2
作者信息 +

The Impact of Imitation on Deceptive Behavior and the Mediating Mechanism

  • Fang Jinru1, Geng Xiaowei2
Author information +
文章历史 +

摘要

模仿是人类文化传承的手段,也是个体道德发展的核心。规范性模仿是个体通过模仿学习群体规范行为的准确性较高的模仿行为,工具性模仿是个体通过模仿学习群体工具行为的准确性较低的模仿行为。研究通过操纵规范性模仿和工具性模仿,测量被试的道德理想主义和自发性欺骗行为,考察规范性模仿和工具性模仿对欺骗行为的影响及内在机制。结果发现,规范性模仿降低欺骗行为,道德理想主义在其中起中介作用,工具性模仿并未对欺骗行为产生影响。研究结果表明,规范性模仿和工具性模仿会对个体的道德认知和道德行为产生不同程度的影响,为大学生道德品质教育提供了一定参考。

Abstract

Imitation serves as a crucial mechanism for the transmission of human culture and is central to individual moral development. Conventional imitation refers to the more accurate imitation by which individuals learn the normative behaviors of the group through imitation. Instrumental learning refers to the less accurate imitation by which individuals learn the technical behavior of the group through imitation. These two forms of imitation exert different effects on cognitive strategies and behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of conventional imitation and instrumental imitation on deceptive behavior, with particular attention to the mediating role of moral idealism. The hypotheses are as follows: individuals exhibit significantly lower levels of deceptive behavior under conventional imitation conditions compared to instrumental imitation(H1); conventional imitation significantly enhances individual moral idealism relative to instrumental imitation(H2a); and moral idealism plays a mediating role in conventional imitation reducing deceptive behavior(H2b).
We conducted three experiments to test these hypotheses. In Experiment 1, a total of 129 participants were randomly assigned to either conventional or instrumental imitation conditions. Participants were primed with instructional language and videos of making a necklace. In conventional imitation, the instructional language emphasized "we have always done it this way", with synchronized and consistent demonstrator actions. In contrast, instrumental imitation highlighted "see how he/she does it", with the demonstrators' actions not synchronized or consistent. Deceptive behavior was subsequently measured using a mental math task. An independent-samples t-test revealed that participants in the conventional imitation condition exhibited lower rates of cheating and plagiarism.
In Experiment 2a, a total of 168 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to three different conditions (i.e., conventional imitation, instrumental imitation, and control condition). Participants in the conventional imitation and instrumental imitation conditions were primed similarly to Experiment 1, while those in the control condition only made necklaces without additional priming. Moral idealism was assessed using the Idealism Scale from the Ethics Position Questionnaire, and deceptive behavior was measured using a Fault Finding Task. One-way ANOVA results showed that participants in the conventional imitation condition demonstrated significantly lower levels of deceptive behavior and higher levels of moral idealism compared to the other conditions. There was no significant difference between the instrumental imitation condition and the control condition. A three-step regression analysis confirmed that moral idealism partially mediated the effect of conventional imitation on reducing deception.
In Experiment 2b, a total of 131 undergraduates were randomly assigned to two different conditions, moral idealism and control condition. Participants in the moral idealism condition were primed by unscrambling sentences (e.g., the scrambled sentence “Moral standards” “ judging oneself” “green plants” “and others” “apply to” may be recomposed as “Moral standards apply to judging oneself and others”). In control conditions, participants completed common sense-based sentences (e.g., “1. The sun, 2. High-rise buildings, 3. All revolve around, 4. The nine major planets, 5. Motion”). It can be recomposed as, “The nine major planets all revolve around the sun motion.”They then completed different finding tasks. Independent-samples t-tests showed that participants in the moral idealism condition exhibited less cheating behavior than those in the control condition, suggesting that moral idealism can effectively reduce cheating behavior.
In summary, the research found that conventional imitation reduces deceptive behavior, moral idealism played a mediating role, whereas instrumental imitation does not affect deceptive behavior. These findings contribute to our understanding of imitation behavior and moral decision making, and also provide some guidance for moral education.

关键词

规范性模仿 / 工具性模仿 / 欺骗行为 / 道德理想主义

Key words

conventional imitation / instrumental imitation / deception behavior / moral idealism

引用本文

导出引用
房津如, 耿晓伟. 模仿对欺骗行为的影响及其中介机制*[J]. 心理科学. 2025, 48(6): 1394-1407 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250609
Fang Jinru, Geng Xiaowei. The Impact of Imitation on Deceptive Behavior and the Mediating Mechanism[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2025, 48(6): 1394-1407 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250609

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基金

*本研究得到浙江省高校重大人文社科攻关计划项目(2024GH005)的资助

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