Concern for Others Leads to Vicarious Optimism - Andreas Kappes, Nadira S. Faber, Guy Kahane,

The learning rate, which indicated how well the estimation error predicted the subsequent update, was the unstandardized regression coefficient indicating the strength of the relationship between the estimation error and the subsequent update. [...] Then, when the significant, F(1, 66) = 0.24, p = .62, indicating that the words “Estimation of happening?” appeared on the size of the optimistic learning bias was similar for the screen, participants were prompted to enter the per- self and friend conditions. [...] The learning rate is the unstandard- ized regression coefficient indicating the strength of the relationship between the estimation error and the subse- quent update. [...] Then, soned that the stronger participants’ vicarious optimism participants completed the vicarious optimism task for for an American stranger (indicating the concern they the liked and the disliked strangers in randomized feel for the stranger’s outcomes), the more money they order. [...] of the participants showed an optimistic bias in their After finishing both the self and stranger tasks, par- learning rates for the liked stranger, and 50.5% showed ticipants were given the opportunity to donate to char- an optimistic bias for the disliked stranger.