MOTIVATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL FUNCTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDRENS ATTENTION TO PEERS WORK

Two studies (331 children ages 9-11) examined the proposal that the fu nctions served by children's attention to peers' work differ both in t heir informational focus (whether children seek information either to improve their products or to evaluate their ability) and in their goal focus (whether information seeking serves either mastery or performan ce achievement strivings). In both studies responses to a self-report measure of reasons for looking at peers' work supported this hypothesi s. Study 2 also examined the effect of a mastery versus a performance goal condition on reasons for looking at peers' work, subsequent infor mation seeking, and interest in the task. Goal condition affected goal , but not informational, functions of looking at peers' work. Both goa l condition and individual differences in endorsement of mastery versu s performance reasons predicted later information seeking and interest . Implications for social comparison theory and for classroom learning and motivation are discussed.