Searching for the Limits and Explanations of the Nonselective Superiority Bias

Abstract. Three experiments were conducted to test the robustness and explanations of the Nonselective Superiority Bias (NSSB), whereby any randomly selected item from a positive category is rated more favorably when compared with a cohesive group of other exemplars from the same category. Having participants rank order all exemplars prior to making a direct comparative rating did not reduce t…