Knowledge of Partner's Ability as a Moderator of Group Motivation Gains: An Exploration of the Köhler Discrepancy Effect

O. Köhler (1926 , 1927 ) found that less able performers tried harder as team members under conjunctive task demands ( Köhler motivation gain effect ) and that the greatest gain occurred with moderately discrepant coworker abilities ( Köhler discrepancy effect ). Recent investigations have reproduced Köhler's overall motivation gain but not the discrepancy effect. The present research examined whether workers' foreknowledge of task abilities-present in Köhler's research, absent in contemporary studies-moderates the discrepancy effect. Participants worked alone or in 2-person teams under conjunctive task demands. Experiment 1 manipulated foreknowledge of ability. Experiment 2 manipulated discrepancy: a (confederate) teammate performed slightly, moderately, or substantially better. Both experiments found (a) overall motivation gains and (b) discrepancy moderation under foreknowledge conditions. Implications for understanding group motivation gains are discussed.