Self-handicapping status, claimed self-handicaps and reduced practice effort following success and failure feedback.
BACKGROUND
Self-handicapping involves the strategic establishment of an impediment or obstacle to success prior to a performance situation which thereby provides a convenient excuse for poor performance.


OBJECTIVE
The study sought to establish that relative to low trait self-handicappers, high trait self-handicappers exposed to failure in an intellectually evaluative situation will (a) pre-emptively claim more handicaps, and (b) behaviourally self-handicap through reduced practice effort, and (c) report greater anxiety and negative affect relative to low trait self-handicappers.


METHODS
Participants were 72 undergraduate students, divided equally between high and low self-handicapping groups.


METHODS
This study utilised a 2 (self-handicapping status: high, low) x 3 (performance feedback: fail, low task importance; fail, high task importance; success) between-subjects factorial design to investigate claimed and behavioural self-handicapping through reduced practice effort. This was done by manipulating performance outcome and perceived task importance.


RESULTS
Relative to low trait self-handicappers, high trait high self-handicappers claimed more handicaps and engaged in greater behavioural self-handicapping following failure when working on tasks that were described as potentially diagnostic of low ability. While low self-handicappers internalised their success more than their failure in the high task importance condition, high self-handicappers were undifferentiated in their attributions across performance conditions. Greater anxiety and greater negative affect were also characteristic of high self-handicappers.


CONCLUSIONS
The study highlights the self-protective benefit of self-handicapping in sparing the individual from conclusions of low ability, and the failure of high self-handicappers to fully internalise their success. These elements and the role of uncertain estimates of ability are discussed in considering implications for intervention.
Thompson
T
T
School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-30, Hobart, 7001, Tasmania, Australia. T.Thompson@utas.edu.au
Richardson
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A
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis; D001519:Behavior; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D011897:Random Allocation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis