Reputation and Reactions to the Successful Plagiarising Professor
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Phillips, JG
Landhuis, C Erik
Wood, Jay
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SAGE Publications
Abstract
Social media now allow the evaluation and documentation of people's reputations online (e.g. upvotes and downvotes). The psychological mechanisms (Deservingness, Rivalry) associated with such evaluation were probed by considering reactions to vignettes outlining the success or failure of an honest or plagiarising professor. 109 participants completed the Tall Poppy scale, and provided their reactions to the vignettes on 5 point Likert scales, rating their Satisfaction, Amusement as well as attributions of Responsibility and Fairness, and willingness to support (Upvote or Donate). In a 2 × 2 Outcome (success/fail) by Context (original/plagiarised work) Multivariate Analysis of Variance there was significant disapproval of the successful plagiarist, and approval when the plagiarist failed. The strongest reactions elicited involved dissatisfaction and attributions of unfairness. Upvoting was less likely when plagiarism was reported. Strength of effects indicated that satisfaction and attributions of unfairness could be important components of people's reactions. Upvoting and willingness to donate in support were greater when the Professor was honest and outcomes were unfair. People were more concerned when a vignette suggested a breakdown of the social order.
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academics, attributions, bullying, disability & trauma, entitlement, mental & physical health, moral reasoning, social perceptions, sociocultural issues in psychology, sociocultural topics, teaching, Violence, 5205 Social and Personality Psychology, 52 Psychology, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, Social Psychology
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Psychological Reports, ISSN: 0033-2941 (Print); 1558-691X (Online), SAGE Publications, 332941261457380-. doi: 10.1177/00332941261457380
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
© The Author(s) 2026.
© The Author(s) 2026.
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0