Evaluating a sex-related ability: Social comparison with similar others and standard setters

A study was conducted to test Festinger's (1954) hypothesis that when people evaluate an ability they prefer to compare with others similar on characteristics related to performance vs the hypothesis that they prefer to compare with best-off others or standard setters. In a 2 × 2 design male and female undergraduates received ambiguous feedback about their performance on a test of an intellectual ability on which they believed either males or females excelled. The results indicated that virtually all subjects first chose a same-sex reference group with which to compare and thus gave strong support to Festinger's similarity hypothesis. It was also found that subjects in conditions where the opposite sex excelled switched more often to an opposite-sex reference group on their second choice, indicating that comparing with standard setters is a secondary comparison priority. No sex differences were expected or found.