This study examined men's and women's self-presentation of academic ac
hievement in an interactional context. First-year college students wer
e led to expect an interaction with a peer to discuss academic achieve
ment. However the peer was actually a confederate who portrayed his or
her achievement in a boastful, moderate, or self-deprecating manner P
rior to the anticipated interaction, subjects were induced to describe
their own academic achievement and make predictions about their first
-semester grade point averages (GPAs) to be shared with the peel: Men'
s GPA predictions were highest in the boastful condition (and higher t
han their actual GPAs), next highest in the moderate condition, and lo
west (and lower than their actual GPAs) in the self-deprecating condit
ion. Women's predicted GPAs, unexpectedly, did not vary by condition.
Women were less comfortable in predicting their GPAs than men, and the
re was a tendency for men to be more comfortable than women while obse
rving the boastful peer and women to be more comfortable than men whil
e observing the self-deprecating peer Results are discussed with regar
d to past research and self-in-relation theory.