When better-than-others compare upward: Choice of comparison and comparative evaluation as independent predictors of academic performance.
Abstract
Social comparison theory has linked improved performance to both the tendency to compare with others who are performing well and the tendency to view the self as better than others. However, little research has investigated the effects of either variable outside of a controlled laboratory environment, Moreover, there is reason to believe that the 2 tendencies would be in opposition to one another, because people who compare upward might subsequently view themselves as relatively less competent. The results of a longitudinal study of 876 students in their Ist year of secondary education indicated that both variables independently predicted improved academic performance and that these 2 tendencies did not conflict.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Studies of adolescents find that affiliation with peers who are highly academically competent may produce benefits for academic effort by motivating improvements in academic standards and performance, or by providing models for how to complete challenging academic tasks.
“studies of adolescents find that affiliation with peers who are highly academically competent may, on the one hand, produce benefits for academic effort by motivating improvements in academic standards and performance, or by providing models for how to complete challenging academic tasks, serving as a form of”
From Peer Influences on Academic Motivation: Exploring Multiple Methods of Assessing Youths’ Most “Influential” Peer Relationships (2011) · cites this paper as Blanton, Buunk, Gibbons, & Kuyper, 1999
Past research on social comparison has typically focused on comparisons to friends or comparisons to classmates in general.
“Past research on social comparison has typically either focused on comparisons to friends (e.g., Altermatt & Pomerantz, 2003;Guay et al., 1999) or comparisons to classmates in general (e.g., Blanton et al., 1999;Marsh, Kong, & Hau, 2000).”
From Peer Influences on Academic Motivation: Exploring Multiple Methods of Assessing Youths’ Most “Influential” Peer Relationships (2011) · cites this paper as Blanton et al., 1999
Cites
Illusion and well‐being: A social psychological perspective on mental health
Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.2.193 · Cited by 7,814 · see citing works
Social psychology: handbook of basic principles
Higgins, E., & Kruglanski, A. (2008) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.45-3496 · Cited by 5,534 · see citing works
The Explanatory and Predictive Scope of Self-Efficacy Theory
Bandura, A. (1986) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.1986.4.3.359 · Cited by 3,771 · see citing works
Downward comparison principles in social psychology
Wills, T. A. (1981) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.90.2.245 · Cited by 2,705 · see citing works
Aldenderfer, M. S., & Blashfield, R. K. (1984) · Cited by 2,358 · see citing works
Psychological perspectives on the self
Suls, J. M., & Greenwald, A. G. (1982) · Lawrence Erlbaum Associates eBooks · Cited by 2,300 · see citing works
Superstars and me: Predicting the impact of role models on the self.
Lockwood, P., & Kunda, Z. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.91 · Cited by 1,597 · see citing works
Social comparison : contemporary theory and research
Suls, J. M., & Wills, T. A. (1991) · Cited by 1,381 · see citing works
Social comparison activity under threat: Downward evaluation and upward contacts.
Taylor, S. E., & Lobel, M. (1989) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.96.4.569 · Cited by 1,296 · see citing works
Social Comparison Processes: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives.
Pettigrew, T. F., Suls, J. M., & Miller, R. L. (1979) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2066199 · Cited by 1,164 · see citing works
Personal contact, individuation, and the better-than-average effect.
Alicke, M. D., Klotz, M. L., Breitenbecher, D. L., Yurak, T. J., & Vredenburg, D. S. (1995) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.68.5.804 · Cited by 914 · see citing works
The affective consequences of social comparison: Either direction has its ups and downs.
Buunk, B. P., Collins, R. L., Taylor, S. E., VanYperen, N. W., & Dakof, G. A. (1990) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.59.6.1238 · Cited by 851 · see citing works
Self-citationPeer Models and Children's Behavioral Change
Schunk, D. H. (1987) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/00346543057002149 · Cited by 809 · see citing works
Defensive pessimism: Harnessing anxiety as motivation.
Norem, J. K., & Cantor, N. L. (1986) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1208 · Cited by 731 · see citing works
Symbolic interactionist view of self-concept: Through the looking glass darkly.
Shrauger, J., & Schoeneman, T. J. (1979) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.86.3.549 · Cited by 726 · see citing works
Self-other judgments and perceived vulnerability to victimization.
Perloff, L. S., & Fetzer, B. K. (1986) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.50.3.502 · Cited by 703 · see citing works
Dunning, D. A., Meyerowitz, J. A., & Holzberg, A. D. (2002) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511808098.020 · Cited by 688 · see citing works
Social comparison, self-consistency, and the concept of self.
Morse, S., & Gergen, K. J. (1970) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0029862 · Cited by 668 · see citing works
Gilbert, D. T., Giesler, R. B., & Morris, K. A. (1995) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.69.2.227 · Cited by 586 · see citing works
Major, B. (1994) · Advances in experimental social psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60156-2 · Cited by 583 · see citing works
Davis, J. A. (1966) · American Journal of Sociology · doi:10.1086/224257 · Cited by 533 · see citing works
Academic Self-Concept: Theory, Measurement, and Research
Marsh, H. W. (2014) · doi:10.4324/9781315806976-9 · Cited by 433 · see citing works
Reducing unrealistic optimism about illness susceptibility.
Weinstein, N. D. (1983) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.2.1.11 · Cited by 399 · see citing works
Health, Coping, and Well-being: Perspectives From Social Comparison Theory
Buunk, B. P. (2013) · doi:10.4324/9780203774106 · Cited by 393 · see citing works
Self-citationThreat as a determinant of downward comparison
Hakmiller, K. L. (1966) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/0022-1031(66)90063-1 · Cited by 376 · see citing works
Klein, W. M. P. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.72.4.763 · Cited by 348 · see citing works
Learned helplessness through modeling: The role of perceived similarity in competence.
Brown, I., & Inouye, D. K. (1978) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.36.8.900 · Cited by 343 · see citing works
Egocentrism as a Source of Unrealistic Optimism
Weinstein, N. D., & Lachendro, E. (1982) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167282082002 · Cited by 319 · see citing works
Major, B., Testa, M., & ByIsms, W. H. (2024) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003469490-12 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
The Multidimensional Structure of Academic Self-Concept: Invariance Over Gender and Age
Marsh, H. W. (1993) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/00028312030004841 · Cited by 265 · see citing works
Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J. L., & LaPrelle, J. (1985) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/0022-1031(85)90015-0 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
The impact of comparison processes on coactors' task performance.
Seta, J. J. (1982) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.42.2.281 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Dutton, K. A., & Brown, J. D. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.139 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Self-evaluation, self-enhancement, and the locus of social comparison
Thornton, D. A., & Arrowood, A. J. (1966) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/0022-1031(66)90064-3 · Cited by 165 · see citing works
Defensive Pessimism and Stress and Coping
Cantor, N. L., & Norem, J. K. (1989) · Social Cognition · doi:10.1521/soco.1989.7.2.92 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Particularistic and universalistic evaluation in the social comparison process.
Miller, D. T., Turnbull, W., & McFarland, C. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.55.6.908 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Threat and fear of negative evaluation as determinants of locus of social comparison
Friend, R. M., & Gilbert, J. (1973) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1973.tb00097.x · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Determinants of social comparison choices
Gruder, C. L. (1971) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/0022-1031(71)90010-2 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Social comparison, self-regulation, and motivation.
Taylor, S. E., Wayment, H. A., & Carrillo, M. A. (1996) · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-schemas, gender, and social comparison: A clarification of the related attributes hypothesis.
Miller, C. T. (1984) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.46.6.1222 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Gibbons, F. X., Blanton, H., Gerrard, M., Buunk, B., & Eggleston, T. (2000) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167200267011 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Effects of Self-Esteem and Situation Upon Comparison Choices During Ability Evaluation
Wilson, S. R., & Benner, L. A. (1971) · Sociometry · doi:10.2307/2786205 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
How high is up? Calibrating social comparison in the real world.
Nosanchuk, T. A., & Erickson, B. H. (1985) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.48.3.624 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Fontaine, G. (1974) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0036203 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Consistency, relevance, and resistance to change
Hardyck, J. A. (1966) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/0022-1031(66)90004-7 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Aiming at the top? Upward social comparison of abilities after failure
Ybema, J. F., & Buunk, B. P. (1993) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420230607 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Self-citationOther factors determining the choice of a comparison other
Arrowood, A. J., & Friend, R. M. (1969) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/0022-1031(69)90049-3 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Perceived self‐efficacy, social comparison, affective reactions and academic performance
Vrugt, A. J. (1994) · British Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8279.1994.tb01117.x · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Byrne, D. (1992) · Communication Monographs · doi:10.1080/03637759209376261 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Huguet, P., Latané, B., & Bourgeois, M. J. (1998) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-0992(199809/10)28:5 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Self-citationStudents' Preferences for Information About Their Test Performance: A Social Comparison Study1
Suls, J. M., & Tesch, F. E. (1978) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1978.tb00776.x · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Relative Deprivation: A Theoretical and Meta-Analytic Review
Smith, H. J., Pettigrew, T. F., Pippin, G. M., & Bialosiewicz, S. (2012) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868311430825 · Cited by 1,255 · see citing works
Social comparison: The end of a theory and the emergence of a field
Buunk, A. P., & Gibbons, F. X. (2006) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.09.007 · Cited by 1,020 · see citing works
Self-citationLiao, H., Liu, D., & Loi, R. C. H. (2010) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2010.54533207 · Cited by 642 · see citing works
Marsh, H. W., Seaton, M., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Hau, K., O’Mara-Eves, A., & Craven, R. G. (2008) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-008-9075-6 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2003) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0022-1031(03)00019-2 · Cited by 412 · see citing works
Social Comparison in the Classroom: A Review
Dijkstra, P., Kuyper, H., van der Werf, G. P. C., Buunk, A. P., & van der Zee, Y. G. (2008) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/0034654308321210 · Cited by 392 · see citing works
Self-citationWhy Envy Outperforms Admiration
van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. G. M. (2011) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167211400421 · Cited by 380 · see citing works
Stereotype threat among schoolgirls in quasi-ordinary classroom circumstances.
Huguet, P., & Régner, I. (2007) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.545 · Cited by 353 · see citing works
A Reflection and Evaluation Model of Comparative Thinking
Markman, K. D., & McMullen, M. N. (2003) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0703_04 · Cited by 337 · see citing works
Cognitive and social comparison processes in brainstorming
Dugosh, K. L., & Paulus, P. B. (2004) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2004.05.009 · Cited by 292 · see citing works
Swann, W. B., & Bosson, J. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy001016
Culture and Social Comparison Seeking: The Role of Self-Motives
White, K., & Lehman, D. R. (2004) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167204271326 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
Huguet, P., Dumas, F., Monteil, J. M., & Genestoux, N. (2001) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.81 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
Han, H., Kim, J., Jeong, C., & Cohen, G. L. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00283 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
Huguet, P., Dumas, F., Marsh, H. W., Régner, I., Wheeler, L. S., Suls, J. M., Seaton, M., & Nezlek, J. B. (2009) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0015558 · Cited by 229 · see citing works
Hu, J. J., & Liden, R. C. (2012) · Personnel Psychology · doi:10.1111/peps.12008 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Michinov, N., & Primois, C. (2004) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2004.02.004 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Moreau, C., & Herd, K. B. (2009) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/644612 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
New directions in social comparison research
Buunk, B. P., & Mussweiler, T. (2001) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.77 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Self-citationBlanton, H., Crocker, J., & Miller, D. T. (2000) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1006/jesp.2000.1425 · Cited by 173 · see citing works
Self-citationO’Fallon, M. J., & Butterfield, K. D. (2011) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-011-1111-7 · Cited by 171 · see citing works
Differential social comparison processes in women with and without eating disorder symptoms.
Corning, A. F., Krumm, A. J., & Smitham, L. A. (2006) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.338 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Effects of users’ envy and shame on social comparison that occurs on social network services
Lim, M., & Yang, Y. K. (2015) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.013 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Dimensional comparisons: An experimental approach to the internal/external frame of reference model.
Møller, J., & Köller, O. (2001) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.93.4.826 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., & Köller, O. (2008) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.100.3.510 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Menon, T., Thompson, L., & Choi, H. (2006) · Management Science · doi:10.1287/mnsc.1060.0525 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?
Dai, D. Y., & Rinn, A. N. (2008) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-008-9071-x · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Davis, D., Jivet, I., Kizilcec, R. F., Chen, G., Hauff, C., & Houben, G. (2017) · International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK) · doi:10.1145/3027385.3027411 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Matta, F. K., & Dyne, L. V. (2018) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2016.0264 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Marsh, H. W., Kuyper, H., Morin, A. J. S., Parker, P. D., & Seaton, M. (2014) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2014.04.002 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect, Competence Self-perceptions, and Relativity
Marsh, H. W., & Seaton, M. (2015) · Advances in motivation science · doi:10.1016/bs.adms.2015.05.002 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Galand, B., & Vanlede, M. (2004) · Savoirs · doi:10.3917/savo.hs01.0091 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Optimal Design of Social Comparison Effects: Setting Reference Groups and Reference Points
Roels, G., & Su, X. (2013) · Management Science · doi:10.1287/mnsc.2013.1760 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Self-evaluation bias and academic performance: Some ways and some reasons why
Gramzow, R. H., Elliot, A. J., Asher, E. R., & McGregor, H. A. (2003) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/s0092-6566(02)00535-4 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Buunk, B. P., Lloréns, R. Z., González‐Romá, V., & Ferrer, M. S. (2003) · Journal of Vocational Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0001-8791(02)00015-5 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Self-citationMolloy, L. E., Gest, S. D., & Rulison, K. L. (2011) · The Journal of Early Adolescence · doi:10.1177/0272431610384487 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Affective Response to Social Comparison in the Classroom
Buunk, B. P., Kuyper, H., & van der Zee, Y. G. (2005) · Basic and Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1207/s15324834basp2703_4 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Self-citationSocial and Cognitive Influences in Group Brainstorming: Predicting Production Gains and Losses
Paulus, P. B., Putman, V. L., Dugosh, K. L., Dzindolet, M. T., & Coşkun, H. (2002) · European Review of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/14792772143000094 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
On Being Exposed to Superior Others: Consequences of Self‐Threatening Upward Social Comparisons
Dominique Muller, B., & Fayant, M. (2010) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00279.x · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Michinov, N., Jamet, É., Métayer, N., & Hénaff, B. L. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.037 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Nabi, R. L., & Keblusek, L. (2014) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2013.878663 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Discouraged by Peer Excellence
Rogers, T., & Feller, A. (2016) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797615623770 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Gibbons, F. X., Blanton, H., Gerrard, M., Buunk, B., & Eggleston, T. (2000) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167200267011 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Self-citationHoyt (2012) · doi:10.1177/0146167211427922 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Enhancing Theoretical Fidelity: An E-mail—Based Walking Program Demonstration
Rovniak, L. S., Hovell, M. F., Wojcik, J. R., Winett, R. A., & Martinez-Donate, A. P. (2005) · American Journal of Health Promotion · doi:10.4278/0890-1171-20.2.85 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Gibson, D. E., & Lawerence, B. S. (2010) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.1090.0508 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Social comparison processes in an organizational context: New directions
Goodman, P. S., & Haisley, E. C. (2006) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.10.005 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Jiang, W., Gu, Q., & Tang, T. L. (2017) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-017-3660-x · Cited by 86 · see citing works
DeLay, D., Zhang, L., Hanish, L. D., Miller, C. F., Fabes, R. A., Martin, C. L., Kochel, K. P., & Updegraff, K. A. (2016) · Prevention Science · doi:10.1007/s11121-016-0678-8 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Culture, parenting, and motivation: the case of East Asia and the United States
Pomerantz, E. M., Ng, F. F.-Y., & Wang, Q. (2008) · Advances in motivation and achievement · doi:10.1016/s0749-7423(08)15007-5 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Effects of self‐categorization on orientation towards health
Tarrant, M., & Butler, K. (2010) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466610x511645 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Going back to Donald: How comparisons shape judgmental priming effects.
Mussweiler, T., & Damisch, L. (2008) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0013261 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Social Comparison, Perceived Control, and Occupational Burnout
Michinov, N. (2005) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2005.00198.x · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Blanton, H., Axsom, D. K., McClive-Reed, K. P., & Price, S. M. (2001) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672012712006 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect and a National Policy of Within-School Ability Streaming
Liem, G. A. D., Marsh, H. W., Martin, A. J., McInerney, D. M., & Yeung, A. S. (2012) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/0002831212464511 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Evidence of social comparison in mastery goals in natural academic settings.
Régner, I., Escribe, C., & Dupeyrat, C. (2007) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.575 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Burleson, K., Leach, C. W., & Harrington, D. M. (2005) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466604x23509 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
The Implications of Having High‐achieving Versus Low‐achieving Friends: A Longitudinal Analysis
Altermatt, E. R., & Pomerantz, E. M. (2005) · Social Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9507.2005.00291.x · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Comparison-level preferences after performance: Is downward comparison theory still useful?
Gibbons, F. X., Lane, D. J., Gerrard, M., Reis-Bergan, M., Lautrup, C. L., Pexa, N. A., & Blanton, H. (2002) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.865 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Self-citationSocial comparison among competing firms
Kim, K., & Tsai, W. (2011) · Strategic Management Journal · doi:10.1002/smj.945 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
But I'm No Bigot: How Prejudiced White Americans Maintain Unprejudiced Self‐Images
O’Brien, L. T., Crandall, C. S., Reser, A. H., Warner, R. H., Alsbrooks, A., & Blodorn, A. (2010) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00604.x · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Seaton, M., Marsh, H. W., Dumas, F., Huguet, P., Monteil, J., Régner, I., Blanton, H., Buunk, A. P., Gibbons, F. X., Kuyper, H., et al. (2007) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466607x202309 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Self-citationBOHM, R. M., & Rockenbach, B. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056152 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Smoking cessation: Social comparison level predicts success for adult smokers.
Gerrard, M., Gibbons, F. X., Lane, D. J., & Stock, M. L. (2005) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.6.623 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Self-citationLatif, K., Malik, M. Y., Pitafi, A. H., Kanwal, S., & Latif, Z. (2020) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/2158244020925511 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Third_Person Perception of Television Violence: The Role of Self_Perceived Knowledge
Salwen, M. B., & Dupagne, M. (2001) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1207/s1532785xmep0303_01 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Preckel, F., Zeidner, M., Goetz, T., & Schleyer, E. J. (2006) · Contemporary Educational Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2006.08.001 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Cultural Values Moderate the Impact of Relative Deprivation
Smith, H. J., Ryan, D. A., Jaurique, A., Pettigrew, T. F., Jetten, J., Ariyanto, A. A., Autin, F., Ayub, N., Badea, C., Besta, T., et al. (2018) · Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology · doi:10.1177/0022022118784213 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Moreno‐Domínguez, S., Servián-Franco, F., del Paso, G. A. R., & Antonio Cepeda-benito, A. (2018) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-018-0951-3 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
The mindlessness of social comparisons.
Langer, E. J., Pirson, M. A., & Delizonna, L. L. (2010) · Psychology of Aesthetics Creativity and the Arts · doi:10.1037/a0017318 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Schokker, M. C., Keers, J. C., Bouma, J., Links, T. P., Sanderman, R., Wolffenbuttel, B. H. R., & Hagedoorn, M. (2010) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0019878 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Teacher Job Satisfaction and Burnout Viewed through Social Comparisons
Kitchel, T. J., Smith, A. R., Henry, A. L., Robinson, S. S., Lawver, R. G., Park, T. D., & Schell, A. (2012) · Journal of Agricultural Education · doi:10.5032/jae.2012.01031 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Li, M., Hua, Y., & Zhu, J. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13020625 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Which moral exemplars inspire prosociality?
Han, H., Workman, C. I., May, J., Scholtens, P., Dawson, K. J., Glenn, A. L., & Meindl, P. (2022) · Philosophical Psychology · doi:10.1080/09515089.2022.2035343 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Performance-approach goal effects on achievement under low versus high challenge conditions
Senko, C., Durik, A. M., Patel, L., Lovejoy, C. M., & Valentiner, D. P. (2012) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.05.006 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Sobol, K., & Darke, P. R. (2014) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2014.03.005 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Do social comparisons in academic settings relate to gender and academic self-confidence?
Pulford, B. D., Woodward, B., & Taylor, E. V. (2018) · Social Psychology of Education · doi:10.1007/s11218-018-9434-1 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Sources of Male and Female Students’ Belonging Uncertainty in the Computer Sciences
Höhne, E., & Zander, L. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01740 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
No pain, no gain: The conditions under which upward comparisons lead to better performance.
Johnson, C. S., & Stapel, D. A. (2007) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1051 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
RetractedEnvy Across Adulthood: The What and the Who
Henniger, N., & Harris, C. R. (2015) · Basic and Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/01973533.2015.1088440 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Learning to earn? The role of performance grades in higher education
Lynch, R., & Hennessy, J. (2015) · Studies in Higher Education · doi:10.1080/03075079.2015.1124850 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Upward and downward social comparisons can decrease prosocial behavior
Yip, J. J., & Kelly, A. E. (2013) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2013.01039.x · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Sanchis‐Segura, C., Aguirre, N., Cruz-Gómez, Á. J., Solozano, N., & Forn, C. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01261 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Dupeyrat, C., Escribe, C., Huet, N., & Régner, I. (2011) · International Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2011.08.005 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Inspiration from the “Biggest Loser”: Social Interactions in a Weight Loss Program
Uetake, K., & Yang, N. (2019) · Marketing Science · doi:10.1287/mksc.2018.1116 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Wells, R. E., & Iyengar, S. S. (2005) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.05.001 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Relative performance information in asset markets: An experimental approach
Schoenberg, E. J., & Haruvy, E. E. (2012) · Journal of Economic Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.joep.2012.08.008 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Toward an Enlightenment in Social Comparison Theory
Buunk, B. P., & Gibbons, F. X. (2000) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-4237-7_22 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Self-citationInfluences of Math Tracking on Seventh-Grade Students' Self-Beliefs and Social Comparisons
Chiu, D., Beru, Y., Watley, E., Wubu, S., Simson, E. A., Kessinger, R., Rivera, A., Schmidlein, P. J., & Wigfield, A. (2008) · The Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.3200/joer.102.2.125-136 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Behavioral Responses to Threatening Social Comparisons: From Dastardly Deeds to Rising Above
Johnson, C. S. (2012) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2012.00445.x · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Social comparison in learning analytics dashboard supporting motivation and academic achievement
Fleur, D. S., van den Bos, W., & Bert Bredeweg, A. (2023) · Computers and Education Open · doi:10.1016/j.caeo.2023.100130 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
The cognitive miser's perspective: Social comparison as a heuristic in self-judgements
Corcoran, K., & Mussweiler, T. (2010) · European Review of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/10463283.2010.508674 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Does other people's education make us less happy?
Nikolaev, B. (2016) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.02.005 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Wolff, F., Helm, F., & Møller, J. (2018) · Social Psychology of Education · doi:10.1007/s11218-018-9441-2 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Grouping the Gifted and Talented: Are Gifted Girls Most Likely to Suffer the Consequences?
Precke, F., & Brüll, M. (2008) · journal for the education of the gifted · doi:10.4219/jeg-2008-822 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Höhne, E., & Zander, L. (2019) · Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft · doi:10.1007/s11618-019-00907-y · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Social comparison with friends versus non‐friends
Lubbers, M. J., Kuyper, H., & van der Werf, G. P. C. (2007) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.475 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationA Longitudinal Test of Three Theories of Overconfidence
Murphy, S. C., Barlow, F. K., & von Hippel, W. (2017) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/1948550617699252 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Chan, E., & Briers, B. (2018) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucy075 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
To confirm or to conform? Performance goals as a regulator of conflict with more-competent others.
Sommet, N., Darnon, C., & Butera, F. (2014) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0037240 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
- Authors
- Blanton, H., Buunk, B. P., Gibbons, F. X., & Kuyper, H.
- Affiliations
- University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1999-03
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 420-430
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W1966856360
- Cited by
- 346
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 8.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Outcomes and Influences
- Keywords
- upward social comparison, social comparison theory, self-enhancement, academic performance, comparative analysis, self-concept, high school students, first-year students, longitudinal prediction
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
