Social Comparison Proxy Model for Ability Self-Evaluation

能力自我评价的社会比较代理模型

• 批准号: 9631808
• 负责人: Jerry Suls
• 金额: $ 21.4万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-08-15 至 2000-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9631808&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Social; Comparison; Proxy; Model; Ability

A new theory -- the Proxy Model -- addresses the use of social comparison information in realistic appraisals of ability. Previous social comparison theories have not provided a systematic explanation of how social comparison information is used to answer the question: Can I do X? Recent empirical studies of social comparison have primarily attended to comparison processes motivated by self-enhancement or self-protection purposes, rather than self-assessment. The present investigation returns to the question of how comparison information is used when people want or need accurate predictions of future performance. The Proxy Model builds on insights from Heider (1958) and extends the related attributes hypothesis developed by Goethals and Darley (1977). In essence, the Proxy Model contends that future performance in some domain can be predicted by comparing with a proxy who has already completed the task of interest. An informative proxy is one who either (1) performed similarly, under conditions of maximal effort, to the comparer on a related, previous task or (2) shares related attributes with the comparer that allow him or her to infer that Proxy's maximal capability is similar to his or her own. Eight experiments are proposed; all share a common paradigm in which participants predict performance after receiving various types of comparison information. Incentive for accuracy is also manipulated, providing high vs. low motivation to make accurate estimates. The proposed studies should provide evidence for the Proxy Model, and add to deeper understanding of the psychology of self-evaluation. The proposed research both advances basic knowledge about social comparison theory and increases understanding of related phenomena for which social comparisons play a vital role, such as self-esteem, goal setting, and self-efficacy. %%% The proposed experiments are concerned with how people decide whether they are capable of achieving performance tasks involving physical or intellectual abilities. For some time, social scientists have recognized that the comparisons people make with others influence, and partially determine, our performance predictions about what we can achieve ourselves. The factors that determine which persons' performances affect us are not well understood. The proposed studies are based on a new theory, the Proxy Model, which identifies the characteristics of other people which make them useful for making performance predictions and choices for one's self. Eight experimental studies will examine basic elements and implications of the Proxy model. The proposed research will not only contribute to our understanding of a classic phenomenon in social psychology, but also provide useful information in understanding how people choose academic and job performance goals, and how social factors contribute to the maintenance of motivation to learn and perform in school and work settings. By specifying how social factors influence the predictions people make about their future academic and job performance, we also learn about the goals people are likely to strive for, and the reactions they should have when they meet or fail to meet their expectations, two topics of pressing importance for our society.

一个新理论 - 代理模型 - 解决了在现实的能力评估中使用社会比较信息。 以前的社会比较理论尚未提供有关如何使用社会比较信息来回答问题的系统解释：我可以做X吗？ 对社会比较的最新经验研究主要是出于自我增强或自我保护目的而不是自我评估所激发的比较过程。 本调查回到了当人们想要或需要准确预测未来绩效时使用比较信息的问题。 代理模型基于Heider（1958）的见解，并扩展了Goethals和Darley（1977）开发的相关属性假设。 从本质上讲，代理模型认为，可以通过与已经完成感兴趣任务的代理人进行比较来预测某些领域的未来绩效。 一个信息丰富的代表是（1）在最大努力的条件下，与相关，以前的任务的比较或（2）与比较相关的属性相似的人，使他或她可以推断出代理人的最大能力与他自己的最大能力相似。 提出了八个实验。所有人都共享一个共同的范式，参与者在收到各种类型的比较信息后预测绩效。 还操纵了准确性的激励措施，从而提供了高动力和低动机来进行准确的估计。 拟议的研究应为代理模型提供证据，并加深对自我评估心理学的理解。 拟议的研究都提高了有关社会比较理论的基本知识，并提高了对社会比较起着至关重要的作用的相关现象的理解，例如自尊，目标设定和自我效能。 %%;提出的实验涉及人们如何决定是否能够完成涉及身体或智力能力的绩效任务。 一段时间以来，社会科学家认识到，人们与他人的比较会影响，并部分确定了我们对我们可以实现的目标的绩效预测。 确定哪些人表现影响我们的因素尚不清楚。 拟议的研究基于一种新理论，即代理模型，该模型识别了其他人的特征，这使其可用于对自己的自我做出预测和选择有用。 八项实验研究将检查代理模型的基本要素和含义。 拟议的研究不仅将有助于我们对社会心理学中经典现象的理解，而且还提供了有用的信息，以了解人们如何选择学术和工作绩效目标，以及社会因素如何促进在学校和工作环境中学习和表现的动机。 通过指定社会因​​素如何影响人们对他们未来的学术和工作绩效的预测，我们还了解了人们可能努力实现的目标，以及他们在满足或无法满足他们的期望时应该产生的反应，这两个对我们社会的迫切重要性。