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Journal
of
Personality
and
Social
Psychology
1982,
Vol.
42, No.
2,281-291
Copyright
1982
by the
American Psychological Association, Inc.
0022-3514/82/4202-0281
$00.75
The
Impact
of
Comparison
Processes
on
Coactors'
Task
Performance
John
J.
Seta
University
of
North
Carolina
at
Greensboro
Two
experiments
were
conducted
to
investigate
the
operation
of
social compar-
ison
processes
within
coaction.
Percefved
discrepancies
between
coactors' per-
formance
levels
were
induced
by
altering their
feedback
schedules.
A
subject
was
paired
with
a
coactor
who
seemed
to be
performing
either
at a
superior,
inferior,
or
similar
level.
The
pattern
of
results suggests that comparison processes
are
active
components
within
coaction.
An
expectation-criterion
level
interpre-
tation
is
discussed
within
a
social
comparison
analysis.
Zajonc's
(1965)
proposal that
the
mere
presence
of
others
is
sufficient
to
raise
an
individual's
general arousal
level
and
affect
task performance
has
prompted
an
increase
in
research
within
the
social facilitation area
(see Geen
&
Gange, 1977,
for a
review).
The
majority
of
these investigations, however,
have
focused
on
audience paradigms. There-
fore,
comparatively
little
information
is
available
in the
social literature about
the
coaction
paradigm.
Cottrell
(1972)
has
modified
Zajonc's
conceptualization
by
proposing
that
the
mere
presence
of
another
is not
sufficient
to
pro-
duce social facilitation effects.
He
suggests
that anticipations
of
potential positive
or
negative
outcomes
are
necessary
to
alter per-
formance
levels when
a
coactor
is
intro-
duced. Although research exists
that
sup-
ports both views,
it
seems clear
that
evaluation
apprehension does contribute
to
the
magnitude
of the
effects
produced
by the
presence
of
others (e.g., Geen
&
Gange,
1977).
If
evaluation apprehension
and
competi-
tion
(Cottrell,
1972)
are
components
of the
coaction setting, comparison processes
may
be
operative
as
well.
Coactors
should
be
motivated
to
compare their performance lev-
els in
order
to
acquire information about
the
I
would
like
to
thank
Cathy
Seta,
James Crisson,
David
Soderquist, Peggy
McCoy,
Kendon
Smith,
and
Jackie Gaebelein
for
their
contributions
to
this
manu-
script.
Requests
for
reprints
should
be
sent
to
John
J.
Seta,
Department
of
Psychology,
University
of
North Caro-
lina
at
Greensboro, Greensboro,
North
Carolina
27412.
potential outcomes
of the
social interaction.
If
coactors perceive
the
setting
as
evaluative
or
competitive, they should
use any
available
information
about their relative perfor-
mance levels
in
order
to
anticipate and/or
modify
their potential outcomes.
Consequential information seeking might
not be the
only
impetus
for
comparisons
within
coaction.
Festinger's
social compari-
son
theory (1954) emphasizes
the
role
of
groups
in
fulfilling
an
individual's internal
need
to
evaluate
his or her
opinions
and
abilities
(Suls
&
Miller,
1977,
p. 3).
Festin-
ger
conceptualizes internal need
as a
drive
that
possesses survival value,
and he
assumes
that information about
the
status
or
accu-
racy
of
one's
abilities
and
opinions
is
nec-
essary
for
effective
survival (Festinger,
1954).
Although
some controversy
has
arisen
concerning
the
choice
of a
comparison other
(see
Suls
&
Miller, 1977),
it has
tradition-
ally been assumed that comparisons among
individuals
of
similar abilities
are
most likely
(Festinger, 1954).
Thus,
social comparison
processes
may not be
facilitated across
all
ranges
of
ability levels
within
coaction.
So-
cial comparisons
are
less likely
to
occur
whenever
the
perceived discrepancies among
coactors'
ability levels
are
very
large.
In
addition
the
impact
of
social compar-
ison
is not
expected
to be
symmetrical across
ability
ranges.
Festinger (1954)
has
stated
that
an
"individual
is
oriented toward some
point
oh the
ability continuum slightly
better
than
his
own"
(p.
126). This suggests
that
there
should
be a
unidirectional
bi^s
toward
upward
comparisons. Individuals should
be
281
