Effort moralization—seeing higher effort as indicative of higher morality, even if it doesn’t increase performance—is a bias in character judgment. Yet, despite several studies, few useful moderators of the effect have been discovered. Based on motivational theories, subjective fatigue of the participant could be a candidate mechanism. Being more tired oneself should make tasks appear harder, hence requiring more effort. In this way, fatigue might moderate the strength of effort moralization. To test this hypothesis, we will replicate the effort moralization effect in multiple countries and assess whether subjective fatigue influences the strength of the effect. Further, we will aim to do this within the scope of a Registered Report at PeerCommunityIn.

Leopold Roth

Leopold is a PhD candidate at the University of Vienna in the field of motivation psychology, investigating self-control, fatigue and disengagement. In his free time, he enjoys boxing and reading as well as just walking around the city with a coffee and some friends.