TORONTO -- Students who are less likely to cheat earned top marks when scored on measures of courage, empathy and honesty, according to new research.
Researchers at Ohio State University's Newark campus examining the psychology behind students who don't cheat conducted two studies that included a total of 456 undergraduates at the school.
Students were asked about their courage, honesty and empathy including questions about academic dishonesty, such as whether they had cheated on tests or assignments in the past six or 12 months.
Questions posed in the courage section included asking participants if they had the strength to face the future, whether they get involved in causes and if fear keeps them from pursuing their goals.
The study found students who scored high in the areas outlined were less likely to report cheating in their past or the intention to cheat in the future.
What's more, students who reported less cheating were also less likely to believe their peers committed academic dishonesty.
Items from each area -- courage, empathy and honesty -- received a standard score to combine the three scales and determine a median split. Respondents who scored above the median were deemed "academic heroes" by the researchers.
"The heroes are less likely to provide excuses for themselves, and one of the common excuses is 'Everyone is doing it,' or for some reason or another, 'I am entitled to do it,"', said study co-author Sara Staats, professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State-Newark.
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