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Related Concept Videos

Competition02:34

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.Intraspecific competition, which occurs between individuals of the same species, serves as a natural mechanism for regulating population size. Too much...
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Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...
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All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.Multiple species cannot occupy the exact same niche within their habitat. If the niches of two or more species overlap to a large extent, the competitive exclusion principle dictates that one species will outcompete the other, forcing it to...
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Irradiation of a spin-active nucleus causes an increase or decrease in the signal intensity of neighboring nuclei that are not necessarily chemically bonded or involved in J-coupling. This phenomenon, called the nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE), results from through-space interactions between the nuclear spins. The NOE effect decreases with increasing internuclear distance and is generally not observed beyond 4 angstroms. In NOE, dipole-dipole interactions between neighboring spin-active...
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Inhibitors are molecules that reduce enzyme activity by binding to the enzyme. In a normally functioning cell, enzymes are regulated by a variety of inhibitors. Drugs and other toxins can also inhibit enzymes. Some inhibitors bind to the enzyme’s active site, while others inhibit enzymatic activity by binding to other sites on the protein structure.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Comparing the Affinity of GTPase-binding Proteins using Competition Assays
10:37

Comparing the Affinity of GTPase-binding Proteins using Competition Assays

Published on: October 8, 2015

The N-effect: more competitors, less competition.

Stephen M Garcia1, Avishalom Tor

  • 1University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. smgarcia@umich.edu

Psychological Science
|June 23, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

More competitors (N) can surprisingly reduce motivation, a phenomenon called the N-effect. This study shows that higher competition can lower performance and is linked to social comparison, especially for those high in social-comparison orientation.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Comparing the Affinity of GTPase-binding Proteins using Competition Assays
10:37

Comparing the Affinity of GTPase-binding Proteins using Competition Assays

Published on: October 8, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Competitive motivation is crucial for performance.
  • The impact of the number of competitors (N) on motivation is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Introduce and investigate the N-effect, where increased N decreases competitive motivation.
  • Examine the role of social comparison in the N-effect.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of test scores (e.g., SAT) with varying numbers of test-takers.
  • Experimental manipulation of competitor pool size in a timed quiz.
  • Assessment of individual social-comparison orientation.
  • Directly testing the link between the N-effect and social comparison.

Main Results:

  • Average test scores decrease as the number of test-takers increases.
  • Individuals compete faster with smaller competitor pools (N=10 vs. N=100).
  • The N-effect is stronger for individuals high in social-comparison orientation.
  • Social comparison's importance diminishes as N increases.
  • The N-effect is mediated by social comparison.

Conclusions:

  • The N-effect demonstrates that increasing the number of competitors can decrease motivation and performance.
  • Social comparison is a key mechanism underlying the N-effect.
  • Findings have implications for understanding motivation in various competitive settings.