Contrast and Assimilation Effects on Self-Evaluation of Performance and Task Interest in a Sample of Elementary School Children

Jannis Bosch,Jürgen Wilbert

doi:10.3389/feduc.2019.00165

Abstract

Social comparison processes and the social position within a school class already play a major role in performance evaluation as early as in elementary school. The influence of contrast and assimilation effects on self-evaluation of performance as well as task interest has been widely researched in observational studies under the labels big-fish-little-pond and basking-in-reflected-glory effect. This study examined the influence of similar contrast and assimilation effects in an experimental paradigm. Fifth and sixth grade students (n = 230) completed a computer-based learning task during which they received social comparative feedback based on 2x2 experimentally manipulated feedback conditions: social position (high vs. low) and peer performance (high vs. low). Results show a more positive development of task interest and self-evaluation of performance in both the high social position and the high peer performance condition. When transferred to the school setting, results of this study suggest that students who already perform well in comparison to their peer group are also the ones profiting most from social comparative feedback, given that they are the ones who usually receive the corresponding positive performance feedback.

Highlights

School is a place where children spend a substantial amount of time in order to learn and develop their academic skills
In this study we investigated whether social comparative performance feedback influences self-evaluation of performance, task interest and task performance of elementary school students in an academic learning task
To investigate the mechanisms suggested to be the basis of popular BFLP and BIRG effects, namely contrast and assimilation effects on self-evaluation of performance, both social position and peer performance were experimentally manipulated in a learning game with a performance feedback intervention

Summary

Introduction

School is a place where children spend a substantial amount of time in order to learn and develop their academic skills. Besides actual academic learning, school is a place where every student’s learning progress and knowledge is constantly evaluated. Performance evaluation is usually carried out by comparing the performance of one student against a reference norm. According to Rheinberg (1980), reference norms can be either criterial (i.e., comparison of performance with an external criterion), ipsative (i.e., comparison of performance with an earlier performance of the same person), or social (i.e., comparison of performance with another person or a group of persons). The social setting almost unavoidably results in a focus on social comparison processes and social comparative performance feedback in the evaluation of each student’s academic performance. Social-comparative information plays a major role in each student’s self-evaluation of performance (Dijkstra et al, 2008). To differentiate between single instances of self-evaluation and broader self-related constructs (such as the self-concept), the

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Conclusion