Marcus, a movie director, just received a compliment from an attractive young woman. At first, he thought that the compliment was sincere, but then he realized that the young woman was a struggling actress. Marcus then decided that the compliment was fake. The process that Marcus just engaged in is known as _______ .

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Marcus engaged in discounting, which is the process of lessening the perceived value of positive feedback or compliments when the source is perceived as having a possible ulterior motive, such as gaining favor. In this case, Marcus discounted the compliment from the young woman because he believed she was only complimenting him in hopes of furthering her own career as an actress.

Marcus, a Movie Director, Just Received a Compliment from an Attractive