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Method matters: effects of explicit versus implicit social comparisons on activation, behavior, and self-views
1Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. d.a.stapel@ppsw.rug.nl
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|December 16, 2004
Summary
Social comparison type matters. Implicit comparisons led to contrast, while explicit comparisons resulted in assimilation, especially when the self is viewed as changeable.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Social comparison theory explains how individuals evaluate themselves by contrasting or assimilating with others.
- Previous research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding whether social comparisons lead to assimilation or contrast effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential effects of explicit versus implicit social comparisons on self-perception and performance.
- To identify conditions under which assimilation versus contrast effects are more likely to occur in social comparison.
Main Methods:
- The study employed multiple experiments (Studies 1-5) manipulating social comparison type (implicit priming vs. explicit instruction).
- Measures included accessibility of self-knowledge, intellectual performance, self-ratings, and behavioral outcomes.
- Moderating factors such as self-mutability, temporal proximity of consequences, and comparison task (description vs. ranking) were examined.
Main Results:
- Implicit social comparisons consistently produced contrast effects, leading to self-perceptions and performance inconsistent with the standard.
- Explicit social comparisons primarily yielded assimilation effects, resulting in congruence with the standard.
- Assimilation effects in explicit comparisons were moderated by the perception of self-mutability, temporal immediacy, and the nature of the comparison task.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the interpretation-comparison model, clarifying the conditions that drive assimilation versus contrast.
- The study resolves empirical inconsistencies in social comparison literature by highlighting the crucial role of comparison explicitness and contextual factors.