Self-construal and social comparison effects.
BACKGROUND
Social comparison research usually demonstrates that students will have higher self-evaluation in downward comparison but lower self-evaluation in upward comparison. However, the existence of this contrast effect may depend on people's self-construal. The contrast effect may exist only for people with independent self-construal. For people with interdependent self-construal, the contrast effect may be attenuated.


OBJECTIVE
The study investigated the role of self-construal as a moderator of the social comparison effects in authentic classrooms.


METHODS
The participants were 96 Chinese seventh-grade students (41 male, 51 female and 4 unreported) from a secondary school in Hong Kong.


METHODS
The experiment employed a 2 x 2 between-subjects design based on 2 levels of self-construal (independent, interdependent) and 2 levels of comparison standard (upward comparison, downward comparison). The dependent variable was students' self-evaluation.


RESULTS
A two-way ANOVA indicated a significant interaction between self-construal and comparison standard on self-evaluation. When the students' independent self-construal was activated, they reported higher self-evaluation in downward comparison but lower self-evaluation in upward comparison. However, such a contrast effect was attenuated when the students' interdependent self-construal was activated. They reported high self-evaluation in both upward and downward comparisons.


CONCLUSIONS
The outcome of social comparison depends on whether independent or interdependent self-construal is salient in the classroom.
Cheng
Rebecca Wing-yi
RW
Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. rwycheng@hkusua.hku.hk
Lam
Shui-fong
SF
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students