Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Comparison processes in social judgment: mechanisms and consequences.

Thomas Mussweiler1

  • 1Psychologie II, Universität Würzburg, Germany. mussweiler@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de

Psychological Review
|July 30, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Social comparison effects depend on activated knowledge. Similarity testing leads to assimilation, while dissimilarity testing leads to contrast, explaining varied judgment outcomes.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Just Like My CEO: When Perceived Similarity Makes Pay Inequality Acceptable.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2026
Same author

The role of outgroup homogeneity and the neurodynamics of the frontal cortex during beauty comparisons.

Social neuroscience·2023
Same author

Trust in everyday life.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2020
Same author

Competition is crucial for social comparison processes in long-tailed macaques.

Biology letters·2019
Same author

The culture of social comparison.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2018
Same author

Two-Faced Morality: Distrust Promotes Divergent Moral Standards for the Self Versus Others.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2018

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Social comparison significantly influences social judgment.
  • Previous research shows variable comparison consequences, lacking a unifying explanation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose an informational perspective on social comparison consequences.
  • To introduce a selective accessibility model explaining how comparison processes affect judgment.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of comparison processes.
  • Distinguishing between similarity testing and dissimilarity testing.

Main Results:

  • Similarity testing activates knowledge of target-standard similarity, typically leading to assimilation.
  • Dissimilarity testing activates knowledge of target-standard dissimilarity, typically leading to contrast.

Related Experiment Videos

Conclusions:

  • The selective accessibility model provides a unifying framework for understanding comparison consequences.
  • This model integrates diverse findings on assimilation and contrast effects in social judgment.