Assimilation and contrast effects in social comparison and automatic behavior : or, how to change your IQ

Social comparison theory proposes that individuals compare with others to evaluate their opinions and abilities (Festinger, 1954). Recently, several studies have focussed on whether these comparisons result in self-evaluations in line with the comparison target (assimilation), or opposite to the comparison target (contrast). Further, research has shown that, under certain circumstances, exposure to the same social comparison can result in individuals either assimilating their self-evaluations towards the comparison target or contrasting their self-evaluations away from it. Automatic behavior research has demonstrated similar assimilation and contrast effects. This research investigated the self-evaluative and behavioral consequences of being exposed to the same comparison following different primes, and whether these consequences were assimilative or contrastive. In an extension of Mussweiler's (2001a) research, participants were exposed to either a similarity or difference prime, and either a high or low comparison target. Participants then completed a subjective self-evaluation questionnaire rating their intelligence, and a behavioral measure, the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery II Information sub-test. Results demonstrated assimilation: Participants exposed to the similarity prime and to the high comparison standard had a higher score on the behavioral measure, and evaluated themselves to be more intelligent than those exposed to the similarity prime and the low standard. However, the self-evaluation results only held when the behavioral measure was presented before the self-evaluation measure. No contrast effects were found.