FROM TOP DOG TO BOTTOM HALF - SOCIAL-COMPARISON STRATEGIES IN RESPONSE TO POOR PERFORMANCE

Although the hypothesis that people will alter comparison behavior in response to threat is consistent with the formulation of social compar ison theory, the empirical evidence for the natural occurrence of such shifts is weak. Two studies were conducted to examine this hypothesis . In the first study, adolescents' perceptions were assessed before, d uring, and 6 months after their participation in an academic program f or gifted students. Male students who performed poorly, and also worse than they had expected in the program, demonstrated self-protective ' 'strategies'' by lowering the amount and level of academic comparison they reported engaging in and by lowering their perception of the impo rtance of academics. Female students, who generally performed as well as expected, reported relatively little change. By follow-up, most of the male students' perceptions had returned to baseline. A second stud y found that both male and female college students who thought they ha d performed poorly academically also demonstrated these shifts in comp arison. Motivations behind the strategies are discussed.