Seeing exemplary peer work can undermine student performance

Maybe at least part of it is due to our excessively competitive culture, where we feel we are either the winner, or a loser.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/afps-sep020216.php

Public Release: 2-Feb-2016
Seeing exemplary peer work can undermine student performance
Association for Psychological Science

From academic honors to "employee of the month" awards, we are regularly exposed to and made aware of the exemplary performance of others. Many believe such recognition not only acknowledges the individual but also motivates others to strive toward greater achievement.

But new research suggests that exposure to exceptional performance can sometimes have the opposite results, effectively discouraging people from higher-level performance.

•••••

Rogers and Feller found that practices that singled out the exceptional performance of some students reduced the motivation of other students, resulting in what the authors describe as "exemplar discouragement." According to the researchers, these findings could have an important impact on future educational practices and interventions.

Until now, the authors say, research has focused primarily on how individuals respond to behavior they believe they can replicate. When people are exposed to what the authors describe as "attainable social comparisons," they are inspired to emulate the behavior. People see their peers vote or take steps to save energy and are themselves motivated to do the same.

But perspectives change, the study showed, when individuals compare their behavior to peer behavior that they perceive as unattainable.

•••••